


Prickly thorns, tender roses

by Ruiniel



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Action & Romance, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Canon Divergence - Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 3, Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 3, Castlevania Season 3 Fix-It, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gen, Horror, Inspired by Castlevania, Interspecies Romance, POV Alternating, POV Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Post-Castlevania, Post-Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 2, Post-Castlevania (Cartoon) Season 3, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, dark themes, night creatures, wallachia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:29:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 55,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23493247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruiniel/pseuds/Ruiniel
Summary: Set after the events of Castlevania (Netflix) Season III. After the betrayal of his young apprentices, Alucard feels barely alive in his lonesome castle. Days wear on, chipping away at his mind and sanity. And what is the son of Dracula to do with this unwanted visitor, suddenly come at his doorstep? AU.Yes, this is a Season III fix-it fic.---DISCLAIMER: This fan fiction is intended for personal, non-commercial use only. No copyright infringement is intended.
Relationships: Alucard (Castlevania)/Other(s), Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 181
Kudos: 155





	1. Cover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Artwork by Margaret Tran  
> https://www.artstation.com/margaretvtran


	2. Refuge

He looked outside the wide arching window, where heavy rain fell upon the world on a cold afternoon. This was the fourth day in a row when the even thrumming persisted against the silent walls of the castle. _But then, at least my tomb is dry inside_ , he thought wryly. The presence looked to the door of the chamber he was in, which now opened with a dust trodden creaking sound to allow its master passage.

He paced through one of many endless hallways of the ancient structure with his elegant gait, one hand reaching behind his neck. Long fingers halfheartedly glided through fair unbound hair of a light amber sheen. He descended the wide balustrade lost in thoughts of all and nothing, his bright golden eyes dimmed in meandering streams of forgotten times.

As ever his gaze strayed to the wide painting adorning the wall to his right, depicting two figures. Blue eyes filled with purpose and shrouded by kindness stared back into his. Lately it seemed to him they were alive. He looked to the other figure immortalized on canvas. His eyes narrowed. Menacing but contained, it was yet one of the rare, if not sole existing representation of his father void of his renowned merciless and sullen might. He appeared...

 _Almost human,_ he lowered his eyes in a frown.

 _"Adrian, Adrian stop your fleeing this instant!"_ her voice still rang through the corridors of his mind, accompanied by her surrounding light and a slight scent of lavender and rosemary.

Caring arms wound around him. _"I know you are loath to attend when the sun is so bright outside, but your lessons are not to be trifled with,"_ the fair-haired woman told the vision of her bright son, whose small face was puckered in exasperated annoyance.

The images evaporated into nothing before him, leaving the youthful being in the solitary company of his half-human heart, and its soundless beating.

His mother had always trusted _them_ more than was perhaps wise. Now, after having barely survived an attempt to his own life at their hands, he was beginning to understand the determination of his father, if only an iota. He would never, and could never accept the unfathomably cruel ways in which his infamous father Vlad Dracula Ţepeş had chosen to dull his pain. Attempting to wipe humanity off the face of the earth as his last death cry had been a frightening goal even to his generals - and an achievable one at that, which made it all the more necessary to be thwarted.

 _Necessary. It was necessary,_ the being thought again.

 _How interesting that you feel the need to keep telling yourself that,_ an antagonizing thought hit him with the force of a physical blow. A new thought, spanning from a different corner of his mind, and one come alive only after the harrowing event of a past not far removed. He looked to the silence about the wide hall, where sparsely lit torches shadowed broken furniture and the echoes of a great and lavish legacy. And then memory returned him to the recent past. When he thought he had found a compress to the aching void left behind by the departure of the scholar and the hunter. When he had thought to find that flicker of humanity, ever alive and driving a part of himself. But he had mistaken betrayal for sincere interest and companionship, and with it came proof that humanity was burdened with it.

Their corpses may have rotted away by now, he was not sure. He had not gone outside ever since. Not for work, not for gathering or tending gardens or even delving into the rich knowledge of the Belmont vault he guarded, stood below the castle of the father he had felled. Not for feeding like the vampire kin of his father would. But lately, he found the endless struggle for power within leaned more towards his vampiric side rather than the soft, carefully crafted steadfastness inherited from his human mother.

The downpour continued outside. The soundless sound of his steps his only company, the tall fair figure changed his direction in the great and empty abode towards the space which made the library. Loneliness had ever been his mate, but now with the disillusion of recent events, where he had been forced to end two beings he had truly and authentically cared for, well, it seemed seclusion would be his forever tenant. And he _had_ cared for them, and would have imparted with the humans all that he knew in time. They had come knocking at his door in search of a master, after all. And he had done his part, though perhaps failing to account for the impatience defining human race as a whole. And failing to recognize its ruthless desperation owed to the brief flames which were human lives. Yes, he had stalled. And yes, he had grown accustomed to their presence. _Mistakes to learn from._ He had also ended them both as forced by circumstance. The wound was still there, yet raw. And even as he had speared their bodies through and hung them before his gates, he considered retrieving them after for proper burial.

But then he had not.

 _Let them stand guard to my secrets, as was their wont. Let the others see._ Fear was what they knew best, and what drove them. _And it will drive them away from here._ Was not living death endured better in solitude?

He walked in lieu of using his lightning fast shifts in space, his form weakened from his intentional renouncing of sustenance. Even blood would make do, though he denounced the taste of it to the heavens.

Having descended the stairs and into the great entry hall, just as the tall figure was about to take a left towards the library he heard a desperate and insistent rapping at the great doors to the castle. His movements turned stealthy in the blink of an eye, and the following second found him at the other end of the hall. The strikes had ceased and instead he heard the doors creak open. He had rescinded locking them at all since setting the bodies of the young warriors Taka and Sumi outside. And truth be told... did he even _need_ or _want_ protection? His thought was severed by the immediate assail on his senses. The incensed and fearful scent of warm, human blood.

Who on earth would dare go past the horrors at the gate, to enter here?

* * *

She ran. She ran as fast as her feet took her, through wood and fen, stumbling over gnarled limbs and underbrush protruding from the forest bed. Branches and tree boughs scraped against her cheeks. Leaves caught in her pitch black hair as she stumbled in her flight, wary of the sounds of hooves drawing nigh, gaining on her. It had been unwise to linger, most unwise indeed. But now here she was, and the young woman was losing ground the closer she heard the desperate whinnying of horses.

"Get back here you damned slut!" one was calling with ire in his bloodshot eyes, a heavy bearded man in robes of black and gold.

The woman was on her last remaining strength and she faltered, close to falling to her knees. And her eyes were beginning to deceive, as before her she thought there materialized the walls and gates of an abode. _No..._ that was no mirage nor a fancy of the mind. The gate _did_ exist! The great doors were indeed physical, and closer with each beat of time. She lunged forward with renewed hope, the primal will to survive taking precedence and fueling her desperate flee with a burst of strength. Soon the trees were sparser and she reached a clearing of sorts, bolting straight towards the highly reaching heavy wooden doors.

Were those...-

Her heart dropped to her feet as the escapee gaped, wide eyed, towards the two figures impaled about the entrance to the great castle. She turned to look behind her, where the riders pursuing her so fervently had skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. Their eyes were set on the same hanging rotten bodies, on the wide archways and tall towers of the ominously silent building. Their faces then focused on her, and hatred shone bright and dark through their eyes. They hurled insults and threats as far as the wind took them, but seemed to dare go no further.

The young woman wavered, and straightening her back she pulled her tattered cloak about her shoulders. She walked closer on hesitating steps, the faint scent of decay assailing her senses. She looked back to the riders. They were still watching her, determinedly waiting to see what she would do. If she went back into the forest, she was theirs. She narrowed her eyes at them before looking back to the tall doors.

 _The only way, Ravenna._ Squaring her shoulders and steeling the shivering of her wearied and buckling feet, she went straight towards the castle doors in a flurry, striking at them until her fists hurt. When no answer came she looked back to her pursuers again, only to see them slowly approaching from the other side of the clearing.

Desperation taking hold, she groaned and with one last shred of an attempt she halfheartedly took the heavy handle in her hands, and pressed downward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a plot bunny left in my head after watching Castlevania Season 3. So listen, I wanted to see something different for Alucard. One caveat: this fic follows the Netflix animated series, not game lore. It will also be very, very AU.


	3. Bring your taint

To her wonder, the great doors opened ajar with the motion and the young woman wasted not a beat as she disappeared within.

The empty blackness hit her not unlike a menacing shroud, but this was no time to wallow. The place seemed deserted and the fugitive sprang forward, up the poorly lit staircase, failing to notice the functioning torches lining the walls, and the clear sign of habitation they suggested.

This... palace of sorts had a foreboding aura and her eyes struggled with direction in the twilight between its walls. Her steps led ever forward, up the staircase, and into a grand hall. It was not long before the woman heard the beating of whips, the hungry noises of her pursuers. They had apparently renounced their own fears and entered the castle in their own time. She could feel the shift in the air.

"Here, here, little whore, where are you hiding those fine young bones?" one of them called, the echoes of his voice reaching even her.

"Hold your mangy tongue, Adalbert," another of the black-robed chasers threw. "Have you not heard what they say about this place? Do you _want_ to be the main course of a vampire meal?"

The other sneered. "Bah, humbug for shit-eating peasants," he grumbled, brandishing a long wide knife. "Dracula is dead, and whatever is left is nothing but the shadow of his accursed presence. His blight upon this land is ended. But our work is never done," the man finished gravely as the group of seven climbed the wide stairs, carefully listening for any sound or stir in the dark. The blackness surrounding them appeared to be all encroaching.

"Uh," one man asked with a waver in his voice, "did you all notice the lights? Does that not mean someone, or _something,_ yet dwells here? I say... I say we all go back-" he muttered fearfully just as the first man who spoke took a fistful of his garb.

"Keep your wits about you Kemeny for heaven's sake, we're here to finish the work of God not tinkle in our underclothes-"

His torrent ceased when the torches were blown out all at once, though no wind or draught could be felt by any of them.

"Denes," the man stammered, "Denes, let us leave this place, she will find her end either way, I wager," the one called Kemeny insisted towards their leader, losing his composure.

"Onward I say, or God save me I'll submit to have you all excommunicated, living as pariahs on the outskirts of our great and noble society, prey to whatever night terrors'll see fit to feast on your soft heads!" Denes ground out to the increasingly unsettled men, who were now following him with significantly less aplomb than before.

From her hidden place behind a cabinet in one of the side chambers she had retreated to, the young woman listened. She listened, only for their steps to grow louder, their voices hoarser the closer they appeared. Soon they would reach the corridor.

"We check each of these rooms," she heard and froze, her heart a hammering mess behind the cage of bones which confined it. She looked to the small blade she had drawn, her only weapon. She gripped the handle tighter. "Keep your bearings, Ravenna. If this is to be my end, prey to these bastards or _whatever_ dwells here, so be it," she whispered to herself, and with fateful resignation the woman straightened and rose from her hiding place.

A sudden shadow engulfed the room, and just as swiftly she felt a presence. "What is this taint you bring into my home?" a calm, unearthly voice sounded from somewhere to her left.

It was close, too, and whatever the source of the words, the woman felt the skin on the back of her neck prickle. Her pulse had gone eerily silent. Of course, threats and peril loomed from places unsought for. Her head swiveled to her left, but there was no one there. The woman stilled, and tendrils of fear reached through her despite her resolve. The foreign voice was soft, almost tender to the ears, were it not for the dispassionate and monotonous quality of the words.

"Who are you?" she dared ask, unable to bring herself to face the speaker.

"I ask the questions," the slithering voice purred, laced with scorn.

"Please, they are coming-" the woman felt the cold, sharp tip of a sword between her shoulder blades and skipped forward. An innate sort of rebellion surged through her. "I am no threat to you, whoever... _whatever_ you are!" she hissed in a desperate whisper. "I would reveal all... but as you can see, staying alive is now my chief concern!"

There was a pause. "How typical," was all she heard from the man - because the tonality _had_ been male, she was certain of it. There was also a strange scent in the air, akin to late summer roses, heavy and suffocating in its sweetness. The shadows in the chamber seemed to grow denser and shiver when he spoke, and the young human could not deny the primeval fright this presence awoke in her.

"Stay here," she heard the curt and low command. A sharp gust of air blew her unkempt hair astray, and she was alone again.

* * *

The one called Adalbert searched one chamber, the fading torchlight falling on the distinctive ruinous state of an abandoned dwelling.

"No sign of the wench, maybe we leave and let this place swallow her in its burrows," he hissed anew towards his leader.

"Keep searching," Denes commanded.

"Do you not find it odd that there is absolutely no sound in this fucking place?"

"Watch your slanderous words, Adalbert," their leader rebutted. "We find her, we take ourselves out of here and that will be the end of it."

Just then movement caught their eye.

"Draw your weapons," Denes ordered.

The sight which greeted them was that of an animal. A wolf, to be more precise, and a large one at that, staring down at them with its deep golden eyes.

"What the-" one man frowned just as the beast disappeared from their sight into one of the side chambers.

"I tell ya, this place is riddled with fucking devil magic-" one of them threw, taking steps back towards the direction they came from.

"Hold your stance, damn you!" Denes ground out before a gurgled sound stopped his tirade. Looking to his right, he saw the body of one of their companions sliding down against the walls, his neck a bloodied mess.

The men all formed a protective circle, covering each other, anguished eyes darting around them. The silence became overbearing, pressing down on their minds and twisted spirits.

"You come into my dwelling..." an icy voice caught their attention, "Uninvited... with your pettiness, your insults..."

"Who goes there?" the man called Denes gritted. "Show yourself, coward!"

But the speaker had no intention of heeding him, it seemed. "... and your fear of _God_."

Another of their companions was struck down so fast the movement was lost in the blink of a human eye.

"...But your fear is misplaced. Your fear..." the soft words continued among the now screaming throats and thrashing limbs.

Denes turned and ran, both he and the men left alive, only to be barred by a maelstrom of gold and black.

"... should be better spent _here,_ " were the last words Denes heard before golden eyes filled his line of sight, and a silver sheen was the last he saw on the lands of the living.

* * *

Some time after complete silence reigned outside the chamber, the woman breathed in, breathed out, and with slow steps approached the door. She opened it, and slid through into the corridor. The young human looked to her surroundings, and her frantic searching eyes fell on the bodies of her pursuers. She yelped a stifled cry, before recalling she was not alone.

The thought struck her then, that _whatever_ had spoken to her and ended these men so swiftly and brutally, was the same being who had impaled bodies at the entrance of the castle. Dread and terror filled her to the brim and led her will, and soon the young woman was darting down the hall and over the flight of stairs as if the world depended on it. The monster, the one who had so sinuously trapped her in her own body with the aid of nothing but his deceptively soft voice, that was an enemy more dangerous than ten scores of these men. She had to escape, to flee-...

A flash of red movement dashed before her. Again, that scent, heavy in its sweetness.

Her own eyes widened.

_Well._

This was certainly _not_ what she had expected to see.

The young human stared into strangely lit orbs of light amber. The rest of him was just as arresting, and her mouth went slack as she gaped at his beauty. Light wavy hair framed his young face, spilling down his shoulders. He was taller than any man she had seen. He wore the simple cut and garb of nobility, his black overcoat hemmed with faded gold.

All was well and good, save for the reddened sword he gripped pointing downward, and the droplets of blood adorning his face, neck and chest.

She took one step back. Then another.

The figure only watched her. His gaze locked on her until the woman squirmed uncomfortably, wondering whether he would pounce to kill, or speak. In the end, humanity won. "I thank you... for... for your aid," she tried.

The figure narrowed his eyes on her. "I have no use for your gratitude." He regarded her suspiciously from head to toe. "But since you are here _,_ having trespassed my domain with not even a by your leave, having ruined my peace and brought this mess to clean upon my floors... well, I believe that calls for some manner of restitution," he finished with a smile she did not like at all.

"Please... lord," the woman braved as the deceptively angelic figure drew closer. "I cannot go back into the woods, there may be more of them... My name is Ravenna, I am only a scholar-" but his following action made her swallow her words.

A fair eyebrow was raised skeptically as he knelt and lifted a torn arm from his killings, sighing thoughtfully. "Give them a finger, and they _will_ take the entire hand..." he dropped the severed limb under the appalled gaze of the young woman.

Her distress seemed to please him, and it irked her. _Show no fear... for all the good it has done you._ She smothered her fright. After all, she was yet standing. "I have a proposal. Perhaps we could come to some sort of understanding. I was seeking for something in the area-,"

"Oh... oh, my dear," he watched her not unlike a hawk would a wounded rabbit, "... but you are in no standing to negotiate." And with that, he bared his teeth.

The last image the woman ever saw before her sight grew dim and her limbs melted beneath her, was that of sharp, even fangs and golden eyes freezing her beating heart.

For mere moments he watched the still body splayed upon the floor. "... not at all," came the last spoken words she never heard, before all fell into silence again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a darkened Alucard we're dealing with. In my head the most recent events in the series left him scarred, ruthless and fended off from much of his former self.
> 
> Stay safe,
> 
> R


	4. My chains to rattle

When she stirred, her body felt sore and immeasurably weak, from the tips of her fingers to the toes of her feet. Her eyelids fluttered open to the shafts of light filtering through a window. Ravenna groaned, confused, her mind a whispering desert storm where recent events whirled at will, with no clarity or sequence. She wanted to rise, but something was not right. She looked up and saw that her arms were suspended above her head. _In chains. Lovely._

Dread gripped her mind, and she struggled against her bonds. The woman promptly looked herself over and saw she wore the same traveling garb she had arrived in. Her cloak lay abandoned on a nearby table, but she still had her leggings, boots, and tunic. Her dagger was gone. Ravenna breathed a sigh of strangled relief, for she was yet alive and whole, but the meager consolation faded when she remembered who... _what_ had brought her in this state to begin with. Looking about the place, she saw the makings of a chamber. It was as derelict as the others the woman had seen in the short time spent in this forgotten abode.

_This is ridiculous._

There was a metal leash fastened around her neck, strung from another chain in the stone walls. Each movement caused a desolate rattling sound.

_Not a dungeon, at least._

_But still a prisoner._

There was no sign of her savior become captor, and her thoughts returned to inhuman eyes that severed her consciousness from her body with a single stare. And the teeth... no, not teeth, _fangs_. She had heard the grim tales of this land, come from far away as she was. She had heard of the one called Dracula, king of vampires. Was this...? Had she unknowingly stumbled into the lair of the greatest horror the world had ever known?

"Is anyone there?" she asked, her voice raspy with disuse. Only silence greeted her back.

She slumped against her chains with a sigh. The strain in her arms and shoulders hurt, and the more she struggled, the more intense the pain became.

Hours passed this way, leaving the woman alone with her worries until Ravenna saw the sun slowly make its descent as dusk fell over the world.

In the fading light, she cursed her luck - or lack thereof - which hurled her straight into the clutches of this sinister place and its apparently ruthless owner.

"Who are you?"

The words startled the woman so much she yelped and sprang forward with a metallic clank of her chains.

Flowing shadows filled the space, welcoming the manic lord of the castle who deigned to make his appearance known.

She was afraid, but she was also bitter, and it overran whatever threat was looming behind those cold eyes. "My arms hurt," the young woman muttered, looking away.

"I trust they do," the menace tilted his head to one side, regarding her as a hunting cat would a stray mouse.

She straightened against her chains with a grimace.

"I thought you might need to stand at some point, hence the length," he continued, turning to the sole window in the room.

"So very thoughtful," Ravenna growled, only to be met with a blazing gaze of red. It lasted only a moment before it faded from his countenance.

"Gall. Why am I not surprised," her captor drawled.

As he turned his head to the window again, the woman could not help but sense a seething sort of grief, hanging to him akin to a pressing monolith of immovable stone.

"For the last time, who are you?"

"I told you who I was... lord," she tried civility. "I am called Ravenna. I am not of this land."

He tapped a long finger against his lips, eyeing her. "What is your purpose here, then? In Wallachia?"

She hesitated. "May I at least know _your_ name?" the woman tried.

He was in her face in an instant, clawed fingers grasping her chin none too gently. "You think this is a game?" he purred, but there was a dangerous edge to his soft voice. "I said _I_ ask the questions," his face split into a frightful smile.

"I still believe... it is only courteous for me to at least know your _name_ , following this... warm welcome," the woman said in a strained voice, the freezing touch of his fingers causing a furious heartbeat to burst in her ears. Ravenna berated herself for the rebellious streak which, once again, might land her in more trouble than she bargained for.

He frowned, and she heard what may have been an incredulous snort. "I am the owner of this castle, and that is all you need to know."

"Are you... Dracula?" she decided to out with it.

He released her and stepped back. A low grumble made its way up his throat, and with increased pique, Ravenna realized he was _laughing._

"It is easy to determine, you know ... we are in Wallachia, you own an immense castle that seems to swallow the light, and I saw the teeth..."

"Enough!" he cut her off. "Why are you here? Speak."

"After _you_ grant me your name, _lord,_ " Ravenna braved, feeling the fool.

There it was, the low rumble that was his scornful laughter again, and a show of fangs that made her swallow in dread. He approached her again with slow, feline grace. "I could end you here and now, human," he murmured. Empty eyes locked on hers before trailing to the scrapes on her face, gained during her flight. His gaze went to her disheveled hair and finally settled on her pale neck.

Ravenna shifted, restless. "And yet, you do not," she retorted. Prodding was unwise. Prodding would always, always cause more trials than she could bear. Sage thoughts, and completely unrelated to what actually left her mouth. "The question is... why?"

He raised an eyebrow, watching her as though _she_ were insane. "What is your occupation?"

"I told you, I am a scholar."

"A scholar of what?" he demanded, his frown deepening.

Ravenna rolled her eyes despite herself. "I follow a school of thought which studies alchemy, philosophy, and medicine."

He turned away, hands clasped behind his back. "Interesting..." After a few moments, his shoulders shook in laughter. What ever could be so amusing?

"Is this the restitution you require for your aid? Keeping me for a prisoner, held like an animal to rot away in your chains?" she blurted. He was so cold, and with him so was the air in the room. It came in shallow mists from her nose and mouth.

He seemed to ponder. " _You_ said you cannot go back into the woods. And I do not trust you. Hence you are bound until I know more." He smiled, baring his fangs for her to see. "And with the way this is going, that may take a long, long time."

The prospect of being chained to a wall in the confines of a castle, at the mercy of a creature of the night no less, was not the most heartening. And she had a quest to continue. And yet, Ravenna kept her peace, and refused to beg. "Am _I_ truly that much of a threat to you?" she asked, raising her chin in defiance, but the plea was traceable in her voice.

She found it odd how he appeared to retreat, his expression become weary as he averted his gaze. "You all do more damage than you know," he mouthed after a while as to himself, looking out to the settling night.

Ravenna sighed, her head bobbing downward. The metal leash gnawed and chafed at the sensitive skin of her neck. When she lifted her head, she gasped to find him before her. The heaviness of his scent did strange things to her senses, and her mind felt drenched in fog. His hand reached for her and she recoiled. The hand lingered for a split second before continuing its intent, reaching for her neck. Ravenna pressed her eyes tightly shut, her heart pounding. What would he do?

With the brush of cool fingers against her skin, the leash came unfastened and fell to the floor. She breathed again. Looking up, Ravenna stilled when met with the embers of his eyes. They were mere voids, swallowing all feeling and emotion, but there was no cruelty beneath those long black lashes; the woman found herself unable to look away.

He reached for her arms, and her astonishment increased when the cuffs around her wrists came undone as well. With absolute agony, the young woman let her limbs down, hissing with the strong discomfort. She looked back into his eyes. "Thank you."

He made no reply but did back away. " _That,_ stays," he pointed to the long chain and manacle trapping one of her ankles.

"So I _am_ your prisoner," she concluded.

"I prefer the term _guest_ ," the vampire offered almost innocently with a dismissive gesture of his hand.

Ravenna regarded him with a wry expression. "... and this is how you treat your guests."

She shivered despite herself at the abrupt sliver of ire flitting across his face.

"Oh pardon me, would you prefer a cozy fireplace and a cooked meal instead?" he taunted with narrowed eyes. "Perhaps a warm bed and a glass of wine, why not!"

"Cease these quips! What do you intend to do with me? You mentioned repayment for your aid... what is it you _want_?"

"So many questions," he turned his back on her again. The shadows within the chamber shifted anew. "The chain is long enough, I suggest you make use of it."

"Wait! Wait, where are you going? You cannot just _leave_ me here!" Ravenna called after him, but there was no one.

A solitary sconce now lit the eastern wall of the chamber. Weary and aching, the woman slowly approached the dusty bed, falling against the sheets with little to no grace. She was alive; that was what mattered.

_But maybe not for long._

Somehow, this was still marginally better than having perished at the hands of mindless zealots.

She had never seen, let alone encountered and shared words with a being such as this before. The entire concept of their existence and manner of living was foreign to Ravenna, and despite her situation, the academic drive leading her forward won in the end.

_A vampire._

_How... fascinating._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it/ hate it/ anything you'd like to see? Whatever it is, I want to hear it!


	5. Of all things

It was unbearably warm. Ravenna opened one bleary eye to her surroundings, and was met with a luminous bright morning. Dust speckles were floating lazily through the stale air of her prison and she watched them for a while, allowing herself a respite before reality settled. The woman frowned as the memory of her current predicament reminded her of where she was.

Her stomach clenched and turned, the sounds another reminder that she had not the luxury of a decent meal in days. And yet she felt no hunger. When she opened her mouth it felt completely dry, her throat parched for water.

 _His guest._ Ravenna briefly considered that the following time the fanged bane would appear, if ever, she would ask whether a complete lack of manners was a requirement to being a vampire or simply an innate trait.

_And then he can impale me as he has done to those unfortunates, exposed to the elements and slow decay before his home._

_Which he may do either way._

She sighed. _Dracula._ The Impaler. The young woman had heard, along the years she had been an apprentice dedicated to her schooling, of the notorious creature and the signature practice reserved for his enemies. Its fame reached to the far corners of the great continent and beyond. None knew of his appearance of course, but then again why would any mortal?

As she mused, Ravenna wiped an irksome slickness away from her forehead. Why was it so terribly warm? It had been close to freezing in the room the day before, both while the vampire was here and after his departure. The shallow noise she heard in rasps was her breathing, but her attention was focused on something else. Ravenna returned to her thoughts. What did she even know about vampires? She searched her mind for any tomes she had read, knowledge she had gained by word of mouth or scrolls or courses. Anything which could prove useful in contending with the situation she was in. Thinking back now, Ravenna saw the folly of not having delved deeper into this particular topic. After all, it was said that this land _was_ their haven. But who in their right wits would even expect to be met face to face with one of them, and so soon?

They could be killed, immortal though they were. That she knew. Stakes through the heart could achieve this. They could also presumably _turn_ other vampires. Her hand went involuntarily to her neck, but the woman willed herself to remember. Daylight was also their adversary and so their exploits were done at night, while during the day they lay in vulnerable rest, fleeing the sun. With her thoughts on the celestial body Ravenna decided to rise and feel its purifying light, the only solace she now saw within reach. To witness a new day, and life brimming outside these suffocating walls. They reeked of pain in a way she did not understand, and pressed down on her as if in punishment.

Rising, however, proved more difficult than she expected, and the endeavor was abandoned when her arms and legs felt feeble and refused to listen to her commands. And then she was too warm but too cold, and she felt uncontrollable shivering wracking her chest, arms and legs.

 _What fresh hell is this..._ her skin felt damp and slippery, and with dismay Ravenna grasped that she was having a feverish spell. There came a coughing fit again, one becoming increasingly painful with every jolt of her core and chest. And so Ravenna recalled she had been walking and running through foul weather and incessant rain for the better part of the last two days. In the rain and the cold, for an inordinate amount of time. She recalled how chilling water had seeped beneath her cloak, into her tunic, through her leggings, reaching skin deep. The cold emanating from the walls and into her back during the hours the young woman was hung against them. _If I am correct..._ she coughed again, and turning in on herself Ravenna fell prey to another miserable shiver.

 _What a way to end,_ the resentful part of herself thought. _Alone with the devil, but doomed to perish from pneumonia of all things._

* * *

The wheeling stair made a winded screeching sound akin to a wail as it was returned to its place. The mess of tomes lying haplessly around the vast space had been reduced to naught. He had used the stair, though he could just as well have used his powers. But he had no will to, and more time on his hands than he would ever be able to bear with dignity.

But then, insanity was an end as any, and he had made his peace with it - in a manner of speaking. As the dhampir left the wide arching repository of both new and forgotten knowledge behind, he furrowed his brows together at the scent of stale and decaying blood. The intruders. Alucard had yet to remove their carcasses, initially considering to have _her_ do it, since she was after all the cause for this messy disturbance. That impertinent little beast who called herself a scholar with more fervor than even Belmont when he kicked that dog killer to death.

Alucard grinned at the sour irony of it all. Another human finding their way here, of all places. And who knew if she even spoke the truth, with her laughable reluctance to reveal anything of herself. No, these ones could not be trusted. The son of Dracula was starting to feel as though the hunter and the speaker had been exceptions to a rule he was too blind to see before. And as much as Alucard wanted to dismiss the thought, he felt it was partly due to the upbringing instilled into him by his mother, wise though she was in most things. Wiser than his father, and most certainly wiser than he. Which was why he could not stand to her level. He could not forgive, he would not forget. And it was better this way. Seclusion posed a much better and less taxing alternative to murderous rampage, and one which yet respected the last words he had heard from his mother in a dream of flames.

_They know not what they do..._

Before the chimera of loss could drive its pincers into him as it was wont to, Alucard suddenly recalled something he tended to forget nowadays, and had done so this time as well.

Humans had other needs. It was this thought that made him cease in his steps, only to realize he had not truly considered _what_ to do about her. Freedom was an option, surely, just as was everything else. And he would be a fool twice around _not_ to resort to some sort of security when it came to her kind. His mother's kind. Eyes of light gold darkened as Alucard resumed his stride. Be that as it may, he could not very well let her die of thirst.

Well, he could.

But in a way Alucard felt disinclined to, and the reason may have been the whisper of a leaf, or the tremor of an earthquake. He was too weary to delve into the motives of his admittedly straying sanity or consider exceptions. She would stay bound until he could be rid of her, to flee or to die at the hands of whatever vagabonds her infuriating attitude will undoubtedly lead her to. Almost grudgingly the dhampir paced through the kitchens, grasped the first ewer he saw and poured water.

As he was walking to his destination with an air of exasperated defeat and a sour expression, Alucard considered how much he disliked being saddled with the woman in this way. He could throw her out now, if so he wished. When reaching the door to the sought for chamber the dhampir placed his hand on the handle, only to cease and grit his teeth in annoyance at something faintly remembered. His hand moved from the handle and instead knocked sharply on the wood.

"I bring water," Alucard called his intent, and when no answer came he decided to get this over with. A dramatic entrance to distress the woman, which may have been amusing at first, was now the last on his mind. He entered slowly without flourish, and his sight first fell on a body strewn onto the bed before him.

He placed the ewer aside and neared the bed. Her eyes were closed, her chest rose and fell strangely. Her breathing came in gasps as though it hurt to inhale, and her skin looked inflamed and drenched in delirium.

"What now," he muttered to her closed eyes, looking to the black strands of hair which now stuck to an undoubtedly fevered forehead.

The blond knelt beside the bed and took hold of her left hand, pressing his thumb to the inside of her wrist. Her pulse was serrated.

"How mortal of you," Alucard spoke in a low mocking voice, releasing her wrist just as Ravenna opened her eyes.

Her astonishment with his presence would have blocked out the sun. "You... cannot walk the day..." her eyes closed then reopened stubbornly, taking in how the afternoon light breathed through his hair and feathered over an unnervingly unblemished face.

"That shows how much you know, scholar," the son of Dracula smiled coldly just as another dry coughing fit gripped Ravenna, this time longer and with increased severity.

This was not his concern. He could leave her here and let nature run its course. He could then replace one of the bodies on the pikes.

 _Adrian..._ warned a bothersome, smothered voice inside his head.

He breathed through his nose, eyes closing briefly. When he reopened them Ravenna had ceased coughing, her light blue eyes darting left to right before refocusing on him. Alucard heard a raspy gurgling sound when she breathed, which could mean nothing good.

"Are you able to walk?" he asked the mortal.

Ravenna looked towards the windowed sunlight, uncertain and reluctant, and Alucard saw the signs of a battle being waged somewhere inside.

"No."


	6. Once was enough

She was being carried purposefully into an unknown direction by a stiff and grim lord of the castle. When he had removed the manacle trapping her ankle and leaned over her, the first impulse had been to cower away in afeared suspicion. But her weakness was so great Ravenna could do nothing when his hands slipped beneath her, lifting her off the bed.

"Where are you taking me?" That he was not dragging her away in chains partially pacified her. It meant she may _not_ be heading to her death after all.

"To a place with fewer odds of killing you," his voice vibrated against the side of her face.

She tried to breathe but crumpled in on herself, her head falling heavily against him despite her unease. "There is such a place here?" Ravenna asked, another bout of coughing the punishment for her wit.

A stubborn smile made its way to his lips, one she thankfully did not see. "Believe it or not," he replied.

Ravenna said nothing more, aware that she would be incapable of fighting against him even if she tried. And so the woman renounced any thoughts of bravery and let her body go soft in his hold, feeling weaker as time wore on. She discerned a flat, repetitive thrum; the beating of a heart? She faintly wondered if vampires functioned as humans did. Were they not _undead_? There must have been a scientific explanation for their traits, but unfortunately it lay shrouded in mystery. In the minds of most denizens of the world today these undiscovered laws of existence were the makings of arcane and loathsome magic, to be feared and destroyed.

They reached a room where a great fire burned within an enormous stone fireplace, and Ravenna saw a few pieces of furniture scattered across the chamber.

He laid the ailing woman onto a long divan, and then his footsteps receded. As she lay there, facing the flames, Ravenna had to admit this place was better indeed; the warmth was welcome; the fire drying to her damp skin.

When the stranger returned, she heard objects being placed onto a table somewhere behind her in the fire lit study. He neared her again, and Ravenna saw him running up the sleeves of his white shirt, his gaze sweeping over her with utter indifference. The strangest being she had ever met then went and washed his hands in a basin in the corner of the room, before approaching with a bowl in hand. He set it down on the floor within reach of her, and stepped back, crossing his arms.

Ravenna looked to the contents, and what appeared to be strips of wood shavings.

"Willow bark," she rasped, finding his gaze.

"For the pain and fever."

"I know," she coughed. Her hand reached for the bowl, and she brought a few pieces into her mouth, chewing slowly.

"And do you know what you have?" came that same, unnervingly calm voice as he turned away, only to return holding a wet cloth.

"Short breathing, harsh cough... and pain in the side... fever," Ravenna counted weakly. "… pneumonia. As per Maimonides… estimated year... 1200 AD."

"You know your books," he placed the wet cloth to her forehead. "Then you also know you may die from it, and I am no physician on human ailments."

"You know of physicians?..." the surprise was great.

He nodded, looking towards the window.

"Why are you helping?" Ravenna had to know, searching his face for any changes.

The scourge turned his blank gaze on her then, and it was so empty she felt a different type of chill, deep in her bones.

"I asked myself the same just moments ago. Is it your wish to be left to die?"

"No, of course not-," Ravenna managed, too weary to be incensed by his manner. But all of it came in such contrast to the... adornments set before his gate.

"Then rest, and there is water," he pointed to an ewer placed at the foot of the divan.

Ravenna was so depleted all other questions drained from her mind, and soon her eyes closed, and she fell into a long, troubled sleep.

When the young woman awakened, the burning had subsided from what she could tell, and her limbs felt less heavy. Ravenna reached for the water by her side and drank heartily. Once she was sated, her red-rimmed eyes flitted across the room, finding its other occupant. He had taken his place in a high armchair facing the hearth on the opposite side of the divan. He was silent, motionless, his elbow propped against the armrest, his face resting in his palm.

This was quite the turn of events. First, he prevents her demise, then he frightens her, threatens her, and now that she fell ill, he is… tending to her? This volatility was distressing but what other choice did she have now? Here she was, trapped at the whim of a moody vampire. It was possible her previous thought would ring true. _Maybe not for long,_ if her newly gained affliction had anything to say in the matter.

"How are you immune to the threat of daylight?" A good start as any to a conversation, considering the circumstances of their encounter.

There was no reaction or response, as if her question went unheard. She looked at him, still sunken into his seat, looking utterly tired and worn. Ravenna seethed, retreating into silence. Hours passed, and she drifted in and out of awareness, coughing on her side from time to time. She felt the compress being changed, and the renewed chill on her forehead felt like a blessing each time.

Ravenna opened her eyes to see the vampire crouched before the fireplace, stoking the fire. The light of red-gold flames shone in his rich hair. Ravenna could not deny the distracting nature of his appearance. He was… perhaps about her own age in years? But she knew that with vampires these things were relative and deceiving more often than not.

"Well," she broke the silence anew, "Since you are attempting to help me, or at least I think you are, I don't suppose your design includes spiking me before your gate?"

He stilled his movements, if only for a breath, and looked over his shoulder at her. "That depends," he said dryly.

"On what?..." she decided to bite.

"On whether or not you cease asking questions," he grumbled softly, rising to his feet.

Ravenna scoffed. So he was set on being the fifth wall in the room. So be it. Her eyes roamed over the enclosure and soon narrowed on a peculiar object placed onto a table close to the armchair. A painting - the portrait of a young, yellow-haired woman. She wore a dark violet dress and carried a bouquet of white lily flowers. Her face was fine and fair; there was a strange familiarity to it, but Ravenna could not place it. _Not the usual furnishing to be found in the lair of a vampire_ , she thought.

The woman watched him retake his seat, allowing the crimson armchair to swallow him. His shirt was still rolled up to his elbows; a pale forearm fell lifelessly over the armrest.

He appeared young, but then so old, as if bearing an ancient sorrow that reminded the woman of certain Greek tragedies of old she read in lonesome seminars. Was this the burden of years, or that of the malice these dangerously superior creatures carried about them? Her eyes were closing on the last thought.

"You said you sought something here."

Her eyes snapped open, but it was her turn to be silent now.

Moments passed before she heard a long-suffering sigh, and turned her head to see him pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Adrian is my name."

An unwieldy smirk made its way onto her tired features. One step forward. "I come from Styria."

"Styria?" he repeated, gazing into the fire with a thoughtful mien. "You speak the local language well."

"I was fortunate enough to have access to the right resources."

"Reading is a powerful skill," he echoed absently, and she fell quiet. "I believe this world would do much better if it were a widespread practice."

"Maybe someday," Ravenna chimed before catching herself. It was strange, how disarmingly open he had been mere moments ago. Perhaps there was a way.

"I answered _your_ question," the vampire drawled quietly.

Ravenna was taken by a cough again - a long, throat hissing endeavor that left her weak and shivering. She barely felt something soft cast at her feet, and rose slowly to reach for the thick throw he had placed there. She dutifully pulled the material across her frame. When she calmed well enough, Ravenna continued as he retook his seat. "I seek a prominent family of monster hunters. They call themselves the Belmont Clan."

She watched him for any change in his expression, but there was nothing. "Surely you must have heard of them? We think they possess vast knowledge gathered through the ages in their trade, and I need their help. By word of mouth and research, I discovered my way into this area on my quest. But as I left the inn from the last village, a score of those insane traveling monks roaming these parts of your land attacked me. They must have overheard my questions, though nobody would answer me, which was strange. They must have thought me a witch or who knows what else. It was then I learned the Belmonts are not so well liked here. The rest you know." She fell silent.

For a good while, there was no sound but the crackling hiss of the fire. He kept silent, the flames of the hearth dancing lazily in his golden eyes.

"The Belmonts are dead, and their home was destroyed. Your journey is in vain," the soft, bitter words struck her.

Ravenna frowned. Trust a vampire to say such things. "What... what happened to them?" she asked either way, fearing the answer she was already beginning to suspect, her hope stubborn in the face of his dismissive manner.

"People happened. As usual," he replied coldly.

"I do not believe it."

"That is your folly," the blond muttered, his head falling against the back of the armchair.

Disgruntled and disappointed, the young woman cursed it all. She cursed her long journey and her eager hope, she cursed the group of waylayers who had chased her to kill her for values they were unwilling to understand, and she cursed this vampire, who sliced through her purpose with his careless words. Pressure grew in her chest, up her throat, and stubborn tears of frustration beckoned but were blinked away. Her body and mind yearned for more rest, and so Ravenna fell back against the divan, her eyes rolling back into a restless sleep.

It was the middle of the night when he rose from his place. Slow, hesitant steps took him to where the woman lay abed. He bent and lifted the fallen throw at the foot of the divan, carelessly throwing it back over the sleeping stranger. She looked less feverish, and her breathing sounded marginally better.

 _Once again, at the crossroads,_ he thought, the memory of pleading faces and hopeful eyes causing a wrenching tug. The one once calling himself Alucard stood still for a mere second turned endless moment, watching the only other soul trapped in the shell of the past that was his home. Just then, her lip quivered and Ravenna frowned in her sleep, wrinkling her nose at a rebel strand of hair tickling her face. When he failed to rein a smile, he shook himself.

 _Fool._ He had learned a costly, no less important lesson well enough the first time. And once was enough. His gaze went to the window; not too far away, the remains of the Belmont estate loomed wretchedly among towering trees, the ruins kissed by the light of a grey moon.

_Yes, once was enough._


	7. Both halves of you

_"...your home..."_ the voice whispered.

The deep reds and blacks whirled and turned until they finally took the shape of his father. Bloodshot eyes regarded him with grief and barely achieved recognition.

The stake went deeper, through sinew and bone and flesh. Blood spilled in a sluicing torrent onto his hands.

 _"Father..."_ he folded in on himself, the howling gusts burning against his face, rising and wailing through the castle, scattering into nothingness. They caressed his skin, dried his tears with hot ash.

And then they were before him, holding one another. As he remembered them. A family, laughter, and the absence of guilt.

He was on his knees before them, his head in his hands. " _Forgive me."_ But the shadows stayed silent, watching him beg and reach for them as a small child would. As all times before, the stern eyes of his parents left his, and they turned away, facing the great red moon. Blood drowned the land. Blood was on his hands as he looked at them in horror, and then the moon was cast aflame.

" _Both halves of you, Alucard,_ " a different voice cut into the gloom.

" _Kinslayer!_ " whispers reached him from every corner, every chamber, every barren corridor.

When his eyes snapped open he was panting, his sight falling on the dying embers of the fire. The dhampir placed a hand to his eyes in an attempt to regain his breathing. The nightmares came nearly every night, and there was no respite from them. As such, the son of the late Dracula rarely slept in the true sense, the guilt and grief much more vivid, so much heavier in these nightly planes of thought. But this time he had, apparently, given in to sleep quite unexpectedly, as he was still reclined in the armchair of his father's former study.

Turning his head from the fireplace he blinked to see the woman, the _woman_ he had forgotten about completely. She was standing beside his armchair. Her hair was mussed and tangled, her face pale and gaunt and her lips were dry and chapped. She had bundled herself into the throw he had given her, and fevered eyes regarded him in bright blue. An icy blue, he decided.

"Where is more water?" Ravenna asked weakly.

Of course, humans. "You are on your feet," he remarked.

She coughed then, so harshly it robbed her balance and Ravenna leaned with one palm against the fireplace. He merely followed with his gaze, his mind still struggling to free itself from the shackles of his nightmare. So real. His father always appeared so real before him. It was a good minute before the coughing ceased.

"Can you walk now?" Alucard asked when his own breathing simmered and he felt properly anchored in reality.

Ravenna nodded, her limbs shaking lightly in a new tremor.

He sighed, looking to the bundle of frailty as she waited for his direction. She may also be hungry. The dhampir briefly wondered why _this_ burden was set before him. What cruel design of fate was it to leave a weakened human at his gates, and not even one he could easily dismiss, at that? Torturing and maltreating one weaker was wrong, that he knew. It had been instilled into him since childhood. But... _Tired._ He was so _tired_. "Follow me," he urged after a while, rising from the armchair.

The morning found the dhampir and his unusual charge trudging through the castle, Ravenna too weak and thirsty to focus on any details which at one point may have caught her interest.

 _Come Ravenna, one step after another._ The woman tried but soon her legs wobbled and buckled, and she looked to the wall for support, slowly lowering herself to her knees.

He turned and watched, crossing his arms. When she ceased coughing the blond saw the woman watching him with a near apologetic expression. He sighed heavily before reaching for her, and soon they were on the move again with Ravenna once again held fast in his arms.

"I am sorry," she mumbled, curling in on herself.

Alucard said nothing, but displeasure radiated from him in tangible waves.

And there it was, the curious sound of a heartbeat again. Ravenna closed her eyes to it.

He took her through wide arches and passageways until they reached another chamber, where daylight sieved through large barred windows. Ravenna focused enough to observe it was a kitchen of sorts. Did vampires need kitchens? Then a worrisome thought struck her. Would _she_ be food? Did he plan to... drink, from her? Was this the reason for his aid, to have a healthy source of sustenance? Her agitation increased significantly as the blond placed her onto a chair at a large wooden table.

Ravenna looked about the place, noticing the checkered tiles, the wide rectangular stove. There were pots and pans hanging from the walls as well as other cooking utensils. Shelves lined the space, bearing bottles and containers of different shapes and sizes. Ravenna narrowed her eyes at a few glass jars which seemed to contain spices. It all spoke of wealth, but also of emptiness. It was the same sensation she had garnered coming from him, and the rest of this castle. Her attention was drawn by his movement as the blond took two high pitchers from a wooden cupboard, and went to a corner where Ravenna saw two large buckets. The buckets were filled with water, and he poured the same into the pitchers.

Her eyes went wide. She was so thirsty she would faint. When he placed the pitchers onto the table Ravenna took one with both hands and drank. She drank hungrily and messily, nearly emptying the glass container. When done Ravenna wiped her mouth and chin with her sleeve, meeting his eyes. The stranger had been watching her with an unreadable expression. Ravenna began coughing again.

"I assume hunger grates?" he asked, now turned with his back to her.

Hunger. She _was_ empty, and all the more weakened for it. It had been days. But then the fears from before resurfaced. And yet, Ravenna had never encountered his kind before. Perhaps there were differences among them. If he walked the day, maybe his tastes were different also? A silly, meager hope.

"Do you plan to keep me as human livestock?" she blurted. "Is... is that the true reason for your aid?'

Ravenna saw him go rigid. He turned towards her, spreading his palms flat against the counter he was leaning on. A mirthless grin made its way onto his irksome, youthful face. Ice blue eyes narrowed into golden ones. He was going to mock her again.

But then the grin faded, and his face gained a thoughtful mien. "I have no such compulsion."

Ravenna raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you... " _feed_ was the term coming to mind, but she let it trail away.

He offered no answer to her unfinished question, instead turning back towards the counter. He began rummaging through one of the suspended cabinets.

As he did so, the woman watched him. His movement was elegant and contained, his tall frame straight and almost... noble, if she were to guess. But then again, this one did not shy away from impaling people before his home, and her fears returned.

The one she knew as Adrian now neared her and a bowl was placed onto the table. He took his own seat not too far, one arm draped lazily over the back of his chair. Ravenna regarded the contents warily, and surmised with surprise that they were actually edible. She saw walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, dried berries. All typical sources of nourishment one collected in the woods. As she eyed the bowl with a frown, a pale hand reached and took of the contents. Her mouth fell open at the way he was nonchalantly chewing the _human_ food.

"What kind of vampire _are_ you?" the young woman asked, hesitantly reaching for the food herself to appease a sudden and ravenous hunger.

He leaned back against the chair, so casually she thought, as though the blight had not been keeping her in chains not too long ago.

After a few uncomfortable moments of staring at each other, during which none seemed inclined to submit by averting their gaze, the blond looked away.

"My mother is human, my father vampire kind."

As her mind caught up to his words, immediately a flurry of new questions brimmed. She bit them down. Ravenna let her forehead fall heavily onto the table, breathing raggedly. "Is that even possible?" she asked either way.

"You see the proof of it before you."

His air of superiority grated. "So that is the reason daylight has no effect on you," Ravenna rasped.

"Indeed."

"And you do not... feed on blood?"

He rolled his eyes. "The taste does nothing for me."

Well, that was partly reassuring, she thought. But with his vitriolic and no less conflicting words and actions the young woman could yet be certain, or allow herself to feel safe. It felt as though this place was not designed for safety and warmth. This place was set to be forgotten. A tomb. His?...

"You live here by yourself?" She slowly raised her head.

He was staring into nothingness, his arms crossed, his jaw tensed. "I assume you cannot walk on your way back," the blond said, ignoring her question.

Ravenna quirked an eyebrow, but lowered her chin with a tired shake of the head. It was very cold here.

With an utterly dour and defeated air about him the blond rose to stand and took the remaining pitcher of water, placing it in her hands. He then lifted her to him again and they headed back to the study in silence.

Ravenna had questions. Myriads of them, but his stone cold aversion to conversations spanning across more than two sentences was a hard wall to get past. It was no matter. She had to regain her health, and escape. Or if he allowed her to leave during one of his strange moments of clarity, that would be an even better turn.

She was placed back onto the divan when they reached the room. Ravenna took more of the willow bark to chew on, watching as the dhampir retrieved pieces of wood and threw them in the hearth to kindle the fire.

"Who is the woman?"

"What?" he paused and turned to meet her eyes.

"The woman in the painting," Ravenna pointed to said object, raising a thin finger.

His gaze also went to the painting, and Ravenna sensed the crushing grief again, surrounding him, pressing heavily over the room in endless iterations.

"My mother," he replied, as though the words were leaden in his mouth. He thoughtfully returned to his task without a glance her way.

"Your _human_ mother," Ravenna pondered, and then without thought added, "She was beautiful." Now she could place the similarities.

"For all the good it did her," the blond groused as he worked.

Ravenna brought her knees closer to her chest, lying on her side. "I never knew my parents."

The hissing of newly kindled flames filled the room.

"Is she, gone?" Ravenna dared after a while. The _half-_ vampire had not answered her question on whether or not he was the sole inhabitant of the castle. She could not imagine dwelling in this place. It had an air of subverted demise and utter abandonment.

"Yes, Ravenna, she is gone," came his reply, visibly exasperated with her incessant queries. He rose to stand, and Ravenna followed him with her gaze.

"Adrian," she mouthed thoughtfully.

He stilled, the word so unusual coming from someone else. He had not heard it in so long a time. "Yes?"

"You said my name," the woman closed her eyes.

The sun shimmered playfully through the barred glass windows of the chamber. The dhampir appeared to renounce his previous thought, instead choosing to recline back in his armchair. "I suppose I did."

He then heard the ragged, regular breathing which told him Ravenna had already fallen asleep.


	8. All the luckier

The following day went by with Ravenna drifting between consciousness and exhausted sleep, only waking at times in an attempt to keep aware of the reality surrounding her. It was debilitating, this illness, in its effects on the body. But when she woke to light again and rose against the divan without the immediate need to lie back down, Ravenna could safely assume her condition was improving. Partly due to her own will and partly due to not being left to rot in a cold room to cough her insides away. Speaking of which, where was he?

Her eyes flitted over the room, towards the place usually occupied by the vamp-..., by _Adrian_.

Convinced she was the sole occupant of the chamber at present, Ravenna attempted to rise and did so successfully. She pulled the throw tighter around her shoulders, deciding she needed a bath chamber. And a bath. The young woman wondered whether this immense labyrinth of a castle boasted any such coveted place. _He_ ought to know...

And so, steadier on her feet than she had been in days, the woman proceeded outside the chamber in search of her unwilling host.

She passed through wide maze-like corridors, walking slowly and looking over her shoulder constantly. Not few were the times Ravenna wished she still had her dagger.

But the gloom did nothing except bare its toothless grin at her, and she sought on, her eyes searching and mind absorbing this new and unusual place. Ravenna was somehow certain, that aside from herself - until now - , few humans had ever seen the inside of this lair and lived.

She walked aimlessly for what felt like an eternity, reaching an upper level. She called his name from time to time, though her voice rarely reached farther than an urgent whisper. Her steps echoed through the unlit spaces, and sounded like thunder to her ears. Ravenna felt as though the mere act of being _alive_ was a personal affront to this place.

"Adrian!" she called again after some time, attempting to ignore the leery maws of various wall sculptures strewn about her way.

Finding no answer nor recognition yet again, Ravenna slumped her shoulders in defeat. She walked ahead and took a left. She saw fallen debris and crumbled pieces of wall in various places, as though a battle had been waged in too small a space to contain its devastation. Ravenna attributed its ruinous state to age and the obviously titanic task of maintaining such a behemoth of a home by oneself. Because, at least in so far as she had seen, there was no other living soul here apart from _him._ And even he was an imperfect example of _living_.

"Adrian?" she voiced again, hoping she would not need to search the entire castle for him.

As she walked drenched in thought, hunger gnawing at her with renewed frenzy, Ravenna nearly missed the open door to a chamber on her right. She ceased walking, a curious sound having drawn her attention. If she did not know any better, she would have thought it weeping. But who...

Ravenna turned and approached the entrance, led by an urge she could not name and her innate sense of curiosity. As she neared and the inside of the room became more distinguishable, Ravenna stopped in her tracks.

There was a wide blue carpet in the middle of the space, parts of it burned and blackened. And sprawled over it on his side with his face and eyes hidden behind crossed forearms, was the half-vampire Adrian.

He appeared to be asleep as he lay there motionless with his hair messily fanned over the floor. The slight shiver to his shoulders from time to time said otherwise. Ravenna shifted from one foot to another, unsure whether to say anything at all. There it was, the all encompassing deathly silence permeating through every nook and corner. Her gaze left the figure on the floor and followed through the room. Two round windows with their glass broken in allowed light to flow into the chamber, settling on a half ruined bed. Ravenna saw drawers and cabinets bearing various tools and toys, as well as tomes. _What is this?..._

Without realizing the woman had passed the threshold and into the chamber proper, coming a few steps before the inert figure. And there was the lingering feeling of intruding upon a mourning of sorts. Ravenna found this a stark contrast to the derisive facade she had been met with days ago, when she found herself chained against his walls. He appeared so much younger now and seemed to nearly sink into the floor, as though his very bones plied under that same pressing monolith of seething grief from before.

If Ravenna had learned anything about the human mind during her apprenticeship, it was that it reigned over matter. If there was a scar in the soul, it tore through the mind and eventually, the body as well. And so one wasted away, without specific causes or symptoms to be found. Of course, mere mention of such in wider circles would have one burned at stakes of various shapes and sizes, and so Ravenna had decided to keep her teachings to herself. For the first time she thought about what could have led him to spear the bodies at the gate? They had not been his victims if she was to believe his _no blood_ creed. Perhaps trespassers, like her? But she still lived. Had they tried to steal from him? But he did not appear so crass. Either way this would not be the time to ask such things.

"What do you want?" there was ice in his voice, and his deathly stillness remained.

Ravenna lowered herself to the floor in lieu of an answer, crossing her legs beneath her. A light cough wracked her but only briefly.

"This is a child's room," she said bemusedly. "Here," she added in mild confusion as her eyes fell on a dusted heap of rag dolls.

When more time had passed and he said nothing, Ravenna continued. "I never had a space of my own," she said, her eyes alight in memory. "I became a ward of my master after a horde of the night decimated my village and my parents along with it," her gaze then fell on yet another painting of the yellow-haired woman from the study. But this time, she was not alone. A man was at her side, bearing a handsome noble face framed by dark locks, his intelligent eyes sheltered under a stern brow.

 _So this is the vampire_. She peered closer, narrowing her eyes. The dark-haired representation was depicted eerily content, though it came in sharp opposition with the rest of his composure.

And between the two, golden and glowing, was a child. "I survived, a babe at the time." Her gaze lingered on the figure of the boy, before moving back to rest on the hidden features of the adult before her. "I remember my family not at all," she added.

"All the luckier you are," his muffled voice reached her.

She huffed. "Luck. It was that same luck which made me into an orphan. But I have learned since then, that there may always be grander designs at work, and it all spans from something as small as the beating of butterfly wings. Hidden from us mostly, behind our own inner walls."

Speaking of oneself aided. Speaking of it all, whatever it was, aided. It was a novel theory put to practice, philosophy partnered with medicine in support of the mind. And though she was yet wary of him and his thoughts concerning her fate, Ravenna decided this one posed no danger to her in this moment. Besides, she could study him, unique as he was with his dual nature. And as her practical mind reeled with possibilities, Ravenna could not deny the slight unease his current state caused her either. After all, it was the binding of her creed to care for others. The woman stared down listlessly at the ruined carpet they sat on, and a silver sheen caught her eye.

A ring. A wedding band? It looked suspiciously so, though rather large in size.

"Is that your ring?" Ravenna tried, mainly to see if she would garner a response.

He shook his head, his forearms still shielding his face. "My father's," he answered, to her mild surprise.

"Oh," she frowned, looking back to the painting. "Where is your elder?" her words came softly.

The air in the room grew chilly. "Dead," his voice seemed thick or she must have imagined it.

Ravenna lowered her head. "I am sorry."

"Don't be."

She wished she could see his face. "I sought you, as even from over there you may sense that I am in need of a bath- I was wondering," she rubbed the back of her neck, the attempt to soften the topic gone tediously wrong.

"There is one bath chamber, but there is no water drawn. The stream is your best option."

"There is one here?" Ravenna wondered eagerly. Anything. Anything would do.

He ran a hand through his hair then, and met her stare. Light danced through the golden flecks reflected in her eyes. "In the vicinity, yes."

The jagged edges of the windows left swaying shadows onto the floor, across their skin.

"Will you show me where?" Ravenna asked cautiously.

The blond rose into a seating position with feline movements, crossing his legs in turn. They stared at each other. But then he was staring through her, and Ravenna felt a stir of unrest. Or at least she thought so.

"Adrian?" she hedged, "would you take me there?" The centers of his eyes refocused on her, appearing lucid again.

Ravenna frowned and bit the inside of her cheek with unease, but decided not to dwell on it for now.

"I may."


	9. They roam

It was the day after that he did show her where the stream was. Ravenna had at least to eat more of the foraged edibles the blond had brought her the evening prior, and so felt her strength gradually returning with each passing day. She also longed to be outside and away from this place. And though he had been quiet and overall even sparser in his words than before, Adrian agreed to take her to a place along the water to suit her interests. None spoke of how Ravenna had found him in that strange chamber the previous day, nor of what she had seen there.

When they reached the gates, Ravenna trailing after him bundled in her old clothes and cloak, the doors opened as though controlled by a higher power and daylight speared through the quietude of the reception hall.

As they came before the stairway which Ravenna had last crossed many days past during her desperate flight, she stopped when the putrid stench of decomposition hit her as a blow to the face.

She watched the dhampir descend the stairs and walk past the entrance with a leisurely gait. Ravenna frowned at the utter lack of humanity he displayed, walking so carelessly past his victims. But he never did look left nor right.

Ravenna found it hard to pass the two desecrated bodies, instead staring daggers into his back. Her heart beat in her ears again.

She saw her _host_ stop and turn to face her.

"Did you not want to go to the stream?" he pointed out coldly. "You do need to leave the castle for it."

Ravenna blinked several times.

"Why must they _hang_ here?" the woman fumed, though everything inside advised against antagonizing him.

"Is this scholastic curiosity or boredom?" Alucard drawled, turning back to walk ahead. "Because I wish to entertain neither," he followed sullenly.

"Fine, then stay there, buried in your cocoon of sulking silence," Ravenna grumbled as she hurried to his side, pointedly avoiding to look at the rotting corpses. She stalked ahead, her stomach lurching and roiling from the morbid display which reminded her of his unpredictable manner and actions.

Alucard grinned. This one reminded him of someone. He followed with a faster stride until he reached the woman, his long coat set on his arm. It was a warm day. "You may want to keep close. Night creatures abound in the forests here, the caves and even water places. And they are ever hungry."

"I am no mindless peasant to scare stiff with your tales, Adrian. Besides, remember my luck? It is still ripe. This could all be so much worse. At least _you_ are not Dracula," Ravenna muttered as she walked.

"No, I am not Dracula," he said to her as Ravenna walked, purposefully not looking at him. "But I am his son," he added.

Her head snapped to the side. "You- ... " she nearly stumbled in her step. "This is a jest."

"Do I strike you as being in the mood?" he met her stare with a raised eyebrow.

He made a valid point. Ravenna studied him with a frown as they walked, having entered the forest. "...the man in the painting-, the impaled ones-" Ravenna turned from him, making a mental recount as her hand went involuntarily to her mouth.

"Here is where you are wrong, scholar. I follow not my father's footsteps nor seek to adopt his mannerisms. I think," he added smiling maliciously her way.

Ravenna narrowed her eyes at the obvious play on her primal fear, though she was indeed suddenly very, very, afraid.

And then his taunting grin was gone as if it were never there. "But they..." he paused, long enough for Ravenna to look back at him, "It was different with them," Alucard said with a frown, and the way the words were uttered sealed that line of questioning. Almost.

"Different... how?" Ravenna asked, her voice so firm it surprised even herself.

It was as though he changed before her eyes, his countenance gaining a desperate and irate streak. He lowered his head, his heavy hair tumbling forward and shielding much of his profile from view. "They were their own worst enemies."

Ravenna listened warily and wanted to know more, but her tact told her this was truly enough prodding, for now. The topic of the two had undoubtedly brought about intense distress in him. And even though he could have kept his silence and waved her off, the blond had grudgingly told her more than Ravenna hoped to hear. It was a rankling combination she discovered of him, of openness and some sort of need tainted with reclusive madness. The woman hoped she would soon regain enough strength to leave this place, hopefully with her head attached to her shoulders. Or she would attempt to, if for any reason its owner decided against it. But now he seemed more intent on being rid of her than anything else, which was good for her purposes.

They reached the stream, and Ravenna felt such immeasurable relief at the sight of water she could have embraced even him. She ran towards the swaying mirror sparkling in the afternoon sun, dropping her cloak to pool at her feet near the bank.

Alucard followed, observing the various shades of sunlit greens and the richness of the flora. He had not been outside since... well, he could not remember. There was the buzzing of lively insects and the singing of forest birds. He placed a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the powerful reaching sun rays. His gaze then fell on the lithe frame of the woman as she undid her messy braid. Her black hair fell over her back in a spiderweb curtain.

"The water is warm today," Ravenna said as she dipped a now bared toe inside the stream.

"Must you keep talking?" the blond sighed as he inspected their surroundings. She spoke so much. Too much. Or maybe he had simply gotten accustomed to the silence. He did not know.

Ravenna prayed for a good sturdy piece of wood. "It bothers you."

"Very much."

"Good," she bit out, walking closer to the bank and leaving a bemused Alucard behind.

The blond shook his head. "You've only just gotten slightly better and already your wit is returned?"

He had rarely felt this annoyed, this _irked_ ever since... ever since his time with the speaker and the hunter.

 _Belmont_. He was smiling.

"What is so amusing?" he heard her light timbre, and looking her way Alucard saw the woman kneeling in the stream, the water gurgling around her bare shoulders. Light glowed against her pale skin, and Ravenna tilted her head backwards with a light groan of relief. She looked back at him.

Alucard focused on her with half a smile and half a frown, only to avert his gaze in a blink. Ravenna peered down into the water before her and noticed the reason. It was crystal clear. She felt a blush creep along her neck and to her face, along with an unruly quirk of her lip. _So, you do boast_ some _manners._ She swished and turned in the warm water, washing her hair and body in fast motions. The water was warm, but she had just only gotten to her feet. From time to time she eyed to see where Adrian was, but Ravenna saw the blond had rounded a tree near the bank and sat with his back propped against it, facing away from her. The sun reached through and warmed the shallow stream, illuminating the brown and green rocky bed beneath.

As she worked Ravenna pondered on his recent reveal. _Dracula._ She felt significantly less safe in his proximity, but then recalled the figure of the yellow-haired woman. She had been human. She was one to _love_ Dracula, enough to bear him a child at that. To think that such a link could even be possible between the two races...The image of the peaceful family portrait came to mind. "You said he was dead," Ravenna asked despite her better efforts to rein her curiosity.

"Pardon?" his soft voice reached her from the other side of the tree trunk.

"You..." she wavered, "You said your father was dead."

There was a pause. "He is."

"Dracula, king of vampires, is gone?" Ravenna could not help herself. "Forgive me but... but I must ask, how?"

There was the cracking sound of wood somewhere in the vicinity, but Ravenna heard nothing except the strife of his hesitation.

"I killed him."

Having said the words Alucard waited for her reaction, a bothersome feeling grinding at his insides like sand. There was nothing, and he sighed. "I had no choice," he offered tiredly, though why he felt the need to even begin to explain that whole disaster escaped him.

There was a loud splash in the water and he frowned, turning towards the stream. "Ravenna?"

As Alucard rounded the tree he felt a familiar stench assail his senses, and stiffened at the sight before him. His eyes flared red, bestial power needling under his skin.

She was being held by the face and forced down into the stream underwater, her spasms the only telling sound of her struggle.

The scaly beast holding her down seemed intent on drowning its prey, and had yet to notice him. Its size was impressive, its steel claws and greenish hide lined with poisonous scales.

"Well, well," his own claws speared forward sharply, "It appears you have a following, my dear scholar," Alucard muttered dryly.

He sprang in attack leaving nothing but a flash of red in his wake, shouldering the beast into a nearby tree to force it off Ravenna. He thrust it hard against a trunk on the opposite bank.

The three-clawed creature bellowed at him, something reminiscent of both dying calf and rabid wolf, its slime green slit eyes ascertaining its foe. It pounced and clawed at him, missing an opportunity as the dhampir dug his claws deeply into its neck, applying as much force as he was capable of.

He ground his teeth and pushed harder even as the beast's black spiked tongue swung at his face, and the blond barely tilted his head back fast enough to avoid the full brunt of its lashing. It stung, the damnable burn. It stung deeply and painfully. Even as flailing paws sunk their claws into his shoulders he ripped out its windpipe with a hiss, and a loud crack was heard before a well placed fist to its maw effectively beheaded the creature. Its claws grew slack around him as the body fell to the ground in a heap of putrid limbs.

Panting heavily and whirling around Alucard looked frantically for the woman, his eyes searching everywhere until he spotted her.

Ravenna was kneeling on the opposite bank of the stream, her breathing hitched and her eyes wild, her naked knees dirtied with mud and grass.

It was then, as the haze of battle lifted from his eyes, that the dhampir looked himself over. His shirt was torn exposing part of his scar, his hands drenched to the elbows in night creature blood and gore. Remnants of his vampiric fury still flared red and menacing through his eyes as he regained himself. She had seen it all. The thought somehow made him feel regret, but what for, he did not know.

The woman was still gaping at him, and Alucard felt pinned to the spot. It had all happened so fast. "Are you wounded?" he managed in the end.

Ravenna shook her head rapidly, still staring at him in disbelief. She appeared so shocked she had not even covered herself and sat shaking on the bank propped on her arms, her hands digging into the cold soil.

"I told you they roam everywhere," he said dourly.

"Your face," Ravenna spoke suddenly, pointing a forefinger at him. The she tried to rise but thought better of it. Her arms crossed around her chest and she fell forward with a sigh.

Alucard crossed the stream in heavy sluggish motions, allowing the water to wash away of the blood from his hands. Perhaps he _should_ eat something consistent at one time or another. This weakness was unusual, as normally such a foe would have posed little challenge. But now he had not been as perceptive as he would have liked, nor as fast as he would have expected of himself. With a brief sidelong glance at Ravenna he went to the tree where his coat was hung.

Ravenna startled when she turned to see him kneeling to her left, the self-proclaimed son of Dracula with his scent of roses and fresh blood. She felt the coat being placed over her shoulders.

"Come," he urged, rising and aiding Ravenna to her feet.

Her gaze caught his as she straightened. "It, it looked at me and I could not move, could not speak," she hushed, and then, "You, you are wounded. Your face..." she repeated.

He looked away and led them forward, back towards the castle.

"Your face..." Ravenna repeated, and Alucard began to think she was suffering from a state of afterfright.

"I know, Ravenna. I know. It will be fine."

She fell into silence with the warmth of his arm around her shoulders, stumbling at times and walking ahead until the great gates swallowed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your thoughts - I'd love to hear them!


	10. So little

Ravenna struggled to regain her inner balance, breathing deeply and regularly. She was standing on her own two feet, having survived yet another night creature mauling. The thought came with glimpses of fire and horrified cries rising on a misty night. It moved so swiftly she had not even the time to utter a single word before being trapped in its reptilian gaze. Ravenna shivered involuntarily as she advanced, following the strangest being she had stumbled upon in this part of the world. The woman dared a glance at him under her lashes, tilting her head slightly upward. Just when Ravenna thought that was to be her end the stifling weight and force keeping her submerged disappeared, and she had wasted not a beat crawling towards the bank.

Her eyes trailed over his grim bearing. He had prevented her demise. What left its mark on her was the prompt manner in which her host savagely dispensed with the beast, using nothing but his bare hands. It had all come in such sharp opposition to that rather frail and near angelic appearance. Yes, this one would surely stand out in a crowd, and perhaps it was... better, that he adopted this solitary lifestyle? She doubted it did _him_ any good, though.

Adrian relinquished his support once they had entered the castle, and now Ravenna was stumbling forward in a stunted, uneasy gait. She was also woefully aware of how naked, exposed and bootless she was as he led them slowly up a spiral staircase. None of them spoke, and both seemed glad to wallow in their own flavor of silence for the time being. The pair came to a straight hallway and continued on for a while, their footsteps loud and lonesome against the darkened floors. This was one of the more torn down and ravaged parts of the castle, and the young woman had to be careful not to step into any of the sharp or ragged pieces of debris.

"What happened here?" Ravenna asked, if only to relieve her own mind of the strain owed to the recent happenings.

"Father and I," the blond replied after moments.

Ravenna felt a sharp chill wafting through their surroundings again and began to shiver beneath her coat. She fastened it tighter around her waist, pushing forward with her arms crossed. And then she remembered the last of what Adrian had said before the attack.

_I killed him._

His own father. Admittedly, that father was Dracula and there was surely more to that tale. If his response was anything to go by, all of it had passed within the confines of this castle. _In their home._ Ravenna wondered if he had done the same to his mother, seeing as she was also gone? She recalled the portrait of the yellow-haired woman, such joy and confidence in her eyes.

Either way, the fact of the matter was, he had saved her life again.

Try though she did to stave off the thought, Ravenna had never felt as conflicted before.

They had ceased walking, and the young woman waited as he opened a door and motioned for her to enter.

She beheld a bed and a wide window looking out into the forest. There were also wide drawers and a changing screen. An immense wardrobe cabinet rose high against one of the walls. It was all masterfully crafted from dark wood, and the room was accented in white and creamy nuances. Ravenna wavered at the entrance.

Adrian went farther into the room, and looked as though he was lost in thought.

"You may use this room," he turned to face her. "There are garments, I think," he pointed to the wardrobe.

He then proceeded to leave, not sparing her a glance.

"Adrian, wait," Ravenna called, still holding his coat fastened around herself.

He stilled, his light amber eyes set on her. Ravenna noticed something she had failed to see before. He appeared bone-weary, drained. "You aided me, again."

He closed his eyes in a frown, opening his mouth to speak.

"I know, I know, you have no use for my gratitude," the young woman interceded. "But you may have use for my skill. I could try and aid you with that," her eyes strayed to the side of his face.

Alucard regarded her coldly. "I need no tending. It heals on its own," and he turned to leave.

"But I could aid with relief from the pain, at least," Ravenna insisted, her schooling ruling over her misgivings. "And it does look rather deep."

He threw her a displeased grimace before his gaze fell on his reflection against the tall mirror placed on one of the walls. A deep, dark red burn lined the side of his face from brow to chin. It was gaining a bluish hue at the edges where the rotted poisoned tongue ate into skin and flesh. And it had not begun to heal, which was slightly disconcerting, but unsurprising. It also stung so deeply he barely kept himself from hissing in pain. Alucard closed his eyes.

"I will wait outside," he said and left the chamber.

Alone, Ravenna shed his coat and swiftly went to one of the wardrobes. Opening the sliding door the young woman was astonished to see many dresses and items of feminine clothing. Her eyes then swept over every corner of the furnished chamber, and seeing another door she rushed to open it. Ravenna saw shelves bearing other items such as shoes. All the apparel in the room was feminine in nature. She returned to the wardrobe and rummaged through the clothing in pursuit of suitable garments. As she did so, one item caught her eye. Its dark violet hue and cut left no room for doubt. It was the dress she had seen in the study painting of his mother.

 _So, this may have been her space._ Curious. Her fingers briefly traced over the silk material of a soft pearly sheen before tucking the garment back. She continued her search and soon found a pair of leggings and a white shift. These would do. She layered a fitted knee length robe of dark blue over it all, fastened at the waist with metal clasps. The clothes fit her rather unexpectedly well. After she hastily donned her garments and a pair of boots Ravenna hurried and left the chamber.

Adrian was waiting for her outside, propped against the opposite wall. When their eyes met Ravenna recognized the signs of one stifling their agony. He seemed to be in much pain, if the strain in his expression was anything to go by.

"There are a few ingredients I need for the salve I wish to make, but I will not presume to have that luxury," the young woman said as they fell in step together.

Alucard eyed her briefly, but said nothing. He led her down and through yet another high arched hallway, and they walked for some time until a large domed space appeared before them. Her eyes widened at the sight, bathed in afternoon rays streaking through a great glass opening.

There were high shelves lining the walls, all of them laden with tomes, and there were different levels of them.

"Greater than our University library..." Ravenna whispered in awe, wondering at the wealth of knowledge contained within. So the great Dracula was himself a keeper and pursuer of teachings.

There were also straight and sturdy metal contraptions which the woman had only heard of in Styria, ones she presumed were used to study the skies. _The true science._

But, all of this was marred by the ruin and destruction which had also made its way here. There were working tables upon which lay abandoned a wide array of broken utensils and artifacts. Looking to Adrian, his face betrayed nothing but the burden of witnessing something else entirely.

He led her to a corner of the enclosure where Ravenna saw the familiar tools of her occupation. She rushed towards the tables and shelves with unrestrained curiosity.

"You may find what you need here," Alucard spoke from behind her.

"Yes... yes," Ravenna replied with delight and astonishment, "but, how is it you have all of these supplies?"

"My mother was a practicing physician," he explained, crossing his arms at his chest as his gaze roamed across the various bottles and jars, beakers and flasks. There were dried herbs but also powders of different colors, ranging from bright yellow to dark, murky greens and deep blues.

 _A physician, married to Dracula._ Ravenna figured she may as well cease any attempts to anticipate him altogether, as there was ever a novel twist and turn. Instead the young woman began a search for what she needed. "I will also require water and clean cloth," she told him while selecting various jars by the names inscribed upon them. She opened and carefully smelled each in turn. Once satisfied Ravenna began the work of blending all the ingredients together. As she worked Adrian returned with the items she asked for. When the paste was ready the woman turned to him. "Lie down on that table there," she directed, only to be met with a nearly offended expression. "I must have proper access to the injury," Ravenna said flatly.

She saw his eyes sharpen in suspicious warning. "If this is some ploy..."

Her mouth dropped agog. "Do you truly think so little of others?" Why would she harm one who had just prevented her death?

Alucard shrugged in an infuriatingly detached way. "You are a stranger with an undisclosed purpose wading through Wallachia, having strayed into my home."

"And you are someone I have just seen kill a creature of the night with their bare hands," Ravenna retorted. "I am not daft."

"I never said you were."

"Lie down on the table?"

After a few moments of defiant staring on both sides he looked away and turned, warily complying with her request. Ravenna came to stand close at the edge of the table. She placed her wares there and leaned slightly over him to inspect the wound. "Tilt your head to the side," the young woman asked with a methodical voice as she began stirring the mixture to be applied.

He did as she asked and closed his eyes. _I must truly be going mad._

It had to be said the wound appeared less grave than before, but it was still deep enough and with a high potential of scarring, and so it required treatment. And he did not look as though he needed more scars, Ravenna thought. Her eyes involuntarily flitted towards the deep red mark which began under his collarbone and ran across his chest, part of it hidden by his garment. There were others as well, though thinner and barely discernible. When he reached and tucked strands of hair away from his face Ravenna noticed something she had not seen before. Those same light red marks adorned his wrists, and snaked upwards along the pale forearms. _What has happened to you?_

Remembering her task Ravenna took the cloth and dipped it in water. She leaned closer, hovering a little above his averted gaze, cleaning the droplets of blood from his neck and face. His skin was so pale it appeared nearly translucent. When done she applied the paste in a thin layer over the wound.

"It is because of them that I came here, you know," Ravenna spoke as she worked, feeling him flinch ever so slightly beneath her fingers. "The night creatures."

"Is it, really," he quipped dryly.

"I narrowly escaped their clutches before as I have said. But, in the past year especially, their numbers had grown considerably in Styria. They are terrorizing living inhabitants and driving entire villages of people out of their ancestral homes. The goal of my journey is finding a way to thwart them."

He stiffened at the last words, but she saw nothing of it. "In circles..." he hushed, but not low enough.

"What?" Ravenna asked but at his sullen silence decided to continue. "I have discovered something intriguing in the experiments conducted at our University with my master: there may be a way to revert the forging of these abominations."

" _Revert_ the forging?" Alucard felt something akin to intrigue, though the notion sounded rather ridiculous. "An antidote of sorts," he followed.

"A weapon. To expel the blight and return the bodies to their initial lifeless states. But... we are missing a part of the equation. We are far from completion, but my master has the formula. And so," she finished applying the paste and stepped back, "A number of us were sent in all four corners of the world in search of sources to aid us. I was sent South of our land, to Wallachia, in search of the famed Belmonts to ask for their aid. With the wealth of knowledge it is said they stored, they may have had similar recordings to enrich our research. But if I am to believe you, I came for nothing," and there was deep disappointment etched into her words.

Alucard had to admit the burning had subsided as she applied the strange smelling paste, from pure torment to a kind of constant niggling pain. "Are you nearly done?" he asked as though her words went unheard.

"Yes," came the quiet answer, and Ravenna stepped away wiping her hands. She looked towards the skies visible through the great glass windows. The light of day had begun to fade.

"Your experiment, does it involve transmutation?" the question took her by surprise.

"It would, though I am yet unsure," Ravenna met his gaze. A by-product released during the process is what is needed for the serum. Why?"

He was staring through her again, and deigned not to answer. Instead Alucard made his way back from whence they came motioning for her to follow.

"Where are we going?" Ravenna asked.

"I do not know about you, but after all _that_ excitement I am in need of a proper meal," he muttered.

"Define a proper meal," Ravenna retorted as they walked side by side.

"Probably not what they were feeding you in Styria."

She made an ill humored sound. "And you accuse _me_ of wit."

"I have an eye for it," came the even reply.

Without the slightest of warnings a stubborn smile lit her face, and Ravenna stole a swift glance at him. Her eyes trailed to his partially exposed scar then back to his profile.

"What is it..." Alucard asked without looking her way.

"I would have ended as a body in tatters today, were it not for you."

"Alright, no need for that now," he waved her words away before tiredly running long fingers through his hair.

"Very well, then. But tell me at least you will not revert to using chains again. They chafe," Ravenna reasoned blankly through the remnants of her smile.

His wound stung all the more when he attempted to keep a straight face. "I will consider it."


	11. The greater good

"Adrian," Ravenna called as they crossed the winding paths of his home. "I am actually barely standing for weariness," she admitted, the events of the day having spent her. "I should wish to retire," she finished.

"Do you know your way back to the chamber I showed you?" he asked.

"I do not."

"Then follow me," he sighed, his stride quickening as Ravenna hastened in turn.

She was astounded to see they soon reached a suspended bridge, which linked two of the great towers of the castle together. Ravenna had also been unaware that they were so high above ground and as they crossed the metal and stone wrought bridge, her brimming curiosity won. The young woman slowed her steps until she was stood in the middle of the bridge and turned to gaze upon the land revealed before her. "The world is beautiful from up here," and in that moment, it was. She watched as grey and white mists shrouded the forest beyond them, ghostly legions rising in the night. The silver light of a great moon drowned the stars, layering the endless velvet of the sky in changing shades of dark blue. The warm winds of summer flew in streams against her skin and Ravenna was rapt, leaning forward against the stone balustrade.

"Yes," his soft voice reached her, as though meshing with the silence, "and it is also a long way down." Alucard had also ceased walking and was regarding the scenery some ways from her.

Ravenna allowed herself a small smile. She propped her forearms against the balustrade and leaned slightly over, staring out into the endless world. There was music this night, rising from the forest without. They were regaled with songs of life, and gusts of wind carrying fragrances of the season reached them from down below. Ravenna closed her eyes and reveled in the mild wisps of air straying through her hair. How could such a lifeless place commune and exist _here_ , alongside such vivid manifestations of being?

"I feel stronger of body now, and wish to leave tomorrow," Ravenna spoke in the end, gathering her nerve. She knew little of his ways and could preempt even less, but felt as though her request had to be stated sooner rather than later.

Alucard also leaned forward, resting with his arms crossed against the stone. It was still such an alien sentiment, to witness this foreign view from the castle. Sypha had commanded it move here, nearly on top of the Belmont Estate during their desperate pursuit of Dracula. Thoughts brimmed and receded, and in passing he realized the Belmont ruins were not at all visible from this side of the castle.

He regarded the sight before them, wondering at all and nothing. Wondering why the scent of her veins was so strong he sensed it incessantly, and now the restless night blew its strangeness straight towards him. It had not been so with any of the other humans. There was a certain _flavor_ he could not place, and it rankled him though he had no need for blood to maintain his strength. His gaze switched from the dark towering mountains looming in the distance to rest upon her profile. This one was rather young for such a task as she claimed to complete. His own age, perhaps? "I will not impede you from leaving, if that is your concern," Alucard spoke still watching her. He saw her attempt to rein in the quiver to her limbs.

Ravenna breathed in relief, imperceptibly. "That is good to know. And I-," she added swiftly, her words dying briefly when their eyes met, "I think it was kind of you to aid me, with my sickness and peril. Despite your welcoming at the entrance, and your obvious disdain for life in general," she said in a lighter tone. Perhaps Wallachian nights made her bolder.

The blond huffed in good humored annoyance. "Though I wonder how you will manage, seeing what surprises this land had readied for you until presently. This is a wild country, its people burdened by darkness and political turmoil. How ever did you make it here alone?" Alucard voiced with honest curiosity, turning his gaze towards the moon and absently counting its visible craters, a habit acquired when watching the skies with his father during his short childhood.

"Oh, there were more of us, and our paths split at one point on our journey. But I did cross Wallachia on my own. It takes... much preparation and not a little cunning, I must say," she spoke bitterly, recalling a few less than pleasant encounters at an inn or two along the way. "I am wary of everyone, and do my best to be as forgettable as possible."

 _Not with that waspish tongue_ , Alucard thought with a smile, astonishing even himself. "Either way it is commendable. Brevity or foolishness, you followed it to the end," he surmised.

"The Purpose is clear, and weighs more than my own life," Ravenna replied calmly, looking his way. He appeared all the younger with his features bathed in moonlight. "We do this _for_ life, and the greater good."

Alucard snorted in disbelief, and shook his head.

Ravenna frowned. "It is awfully rude to keep mocking people like you do, you know," she admonished. "Or perhaps they do things differently in Wallachia, I do not know," she prodded, the lightness to her tone still present. It was possible the spark now lighting his eyes was but a figment of her wearied mind.

He leaned closer to the edge. "For life, for _love..._ such grand words, so carelessly flaunted - by both the cruelest of kings and wisest of fools," Alucard said, his words dripping with careless scorn. "You studied the greats, if you are honest about your schooling. Then you know there is no action without a reaction. And what I found, Ravenna of Styria, is that the greater good is no better than the sum of its parts. And at times those parts may be misled, and twisted beyond recognition," he looked briefly away, "or broken by grief. Or burnt alive by the very ones they served," he muttered and caught himself before saying more. What an irritating need.

The woman listened to his dark and slowly churned words, as though he were reminded of things which did him ill. But she could not agree with him. "The greater good in itself is redemption enough for its pursuers, if their deeds support it."

His mocking laughter rose into the night, freezing her with its derisive quality. He turned to her, "Who taught you this drivel?"

Heat rose to her face, but Ravenna willed her temper to still. "It is my own thinking and personal belief."

"And has no one told you it is hardly centered in reality?"

"You are a cynic, Adrian of Wallachia," Ravenna looked towards darkened horizon. "But one day you may find that you agree with me. Though I will not be here to witness it." She shivered lightly beneath her garments.

"And how can _you_ be so confident? You have failed your goal," he wanted to know, despite his mind urging to let it rest.

"But I have done my best, and I will not cease fighting," Ravenna retorted, the blue in her eyes sharpening to ice. "And, I have nothing else," her gaze fell to the gaping height and abyss beneath their feet. "But maybe vampires see it all differently. I can only imagine what living for ages can do to one's mind."

He frowned and looked her way with an affected mien. "Ages? I was born in the year 1456."

Ravenna looked him over from head to toe, her eyes widening. "You mean to say you are _younger_ than I?"

"I am sorry to disappoint."

It was her turn to smile.

And caught by that smile he took a sharp intake of breath. The scent from before, that of _her_ , became stronger. "You take a right from here onward," he said suddenly, wincing, "and then climb one set of stairs and go straight. You will reach your chamber shortly after, the first door you see."

"And tomorrow before I leave, I will find you," Ravenna called, watching his rather hasty retreat with a frown of her own.

"Goodnight, Ravenna," Alucard said as he retraced his steps and left her on the bridge without looking back.

When he disappeared from sight Ravenna followed the path and climbed the stairs to reach said chamber. Once there the woman swiftly lit a candle she recalled stood on one of the nightstands, and soon shadows filled the room flickering and shifting with the weak flame.

She looked to the dusty bed and went towards it. His coat, which Adrian had given her after their misadventure by the stream, lay forgotten on the bed. It was rather chilly in the room and she reached for it. Ravenna fastened the garment around herself and curled into bed, the feel of it rather soothing. She had failed. He had the right of it. She buried her head into her chest, willing away the stubborn feeling of defeat. The journey had been long and tiring, wrought with peril and she had been so close. Master Ovidius would understand. But then a new thought came to mind. She should seek the Belmont estate either way. Perhaps there was something left among the ruins? A meager, crumbling hope, knowing the way looters swarmed and sunk their claws into all they could steal after such catastrophes. She sighed. _Well, this has been quite the adventure._ But she knew it was not over. Whatever the outcome, a long and weary journey home awaited her.

The wind blew harshly against the window sill, causing ghastly sounds to echo into the perennial darkness. Ravenna followed the shadows and though unease took hold, she closed her eyes and tried to drift into sleep. Minutes, hours may have passed this way, and still rest eluded her. Her eyes would not close, her body would not listen. When another sudden, foreign sound reached her ears, similar to claws scraping against the walls, she bolted upright into bed _. I cannot do this here._ Then having another thought Ravenna rose and donned her boots. Holding the remnants of the still burning candle the young woman left the chamber, following the path she remembered. When Ravenna saw the familiar entrance of what she sought she thanked her sense of direction. Would he be there?

The door was left ajar, and as she entered Ravenna saw the embers of a dying fire in the hearth. It was still warm here. Then, cautiously approaching, she neared the armchair and saw that her host was indeed there. The strong smell of wine lingered in the air, and Ravenna saw two empty bottles on the floor by his side.

"I could not rest up there," she offered as a means to announce her presence.

When Adrian said nothing she went closer. When she neared enough to see his face Ravenna was astonished to see his wound had receded and healed considerably, its depth and width reduced. _Astounding_. He was slumping lifelessly in his seat as in the days of her sickness. Was he drunk?

"Adrian?" she hedged, taking a seat on the opposite side of him onto the divan. She shed his coat. "Are you awake?"

His eyes were glassy, and he was staring listlessly towards the ceiling. The harsh winds beat against the window sills. Perhaps there was a storm coming.

"I rid this world of my father for the greater good, as you call it," he said after a while. "But I see not even a whisper of redemption."

Ravenna perked her ears, intrigued by his strange words. "Which greater good was that?"

Alucard turned his head to meet her gaze. "It is a long tale, and you are tired."

"As you said, I failed my quest," she followed. "I am currently in no great amount of haste. Speak freely... if you wish." And Ravenna leaned with her back against the divan in waiting, using his coat as a cover.

He gazed into the fire. What was the harm in it? Her scent no longer grated, and he thanked the wine. Though inebriation had taken hold of his body and numbed much of the dread and grief, his mind felt sharp and clear. He closed his eyes, mild resent rising in his chest towards this bothersome, jarring need to speak and to be listened to. A need he had previously buried. And she was not making it any easier for him, the inquisitive little beast. Be that as it may. "Well," he began reluctantly, "I told you my mother was a physician..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn Alucard is in his cups... someone give that man a candy bar and a hug!


	12. A twist of fortune

With the winds outside playing their spectral tune, Ravenna sat nestled into the divan and listened. She listened to her host speak of his parents, of how his human mother had brought about a change in the great previously lonesome and disillusioned vampire. How she had convinced him to see another side of humanity and dwell on its worth. How he had accepted to journey as one of them, to know her kind better and appreciate the nuances of their fleeting existence. How Lisa his mother had been unfairly accused of witchcraft in the absence of her husband, and burned at the stake. How his father lay a curse upon humanity and driven by his deep harrowing grief, decided to be rid of it.

The woman listened and at times asked a question here or there, but mostly she let him speak his mind. And his words were quiet, and pouring slowly as though from an endless pool of grief. She heard Adrian speak of how he, along with a hunter and a speaker magician, succeeded in ending his father to prevent his plans from coming to fruition. It was quite unbelievable, if one were to consider his story in its entirety. And Ravenna felt an unruly pang of sorrow for this being, who now she realized had lost both his parents in such a short amount of time. _Just as I have,_ the thought came. But he... he had to kill his own father _. For the greater good,_ her thoughts flew to their previous conversation on the topic, and his words gained a different meaning altogether. But so it went. The past could not be changed, merely accepted. And as his words offered a different facet to his behavior and thoughts, a new perspective was revealed to her. And all the sorrow and pity the woman felt grew in magnitude until her chest felt full and raw, seeking release. Ravenna shook it all away. It was not her story, not her place. There was a different purpose to her journey.

"And so, your friends... left, when it was done?" her eyes were closing.

"They went their own way, yes," Adrian replied.

"Then you _are_ alone here," the woman concluded, but never heard his reply as her body softened completely into the divan, and sleep took her.

When Ravenna reopened her eyes the sun was streaming through the windows, and all the signs showed that it was noon. She rose and looked about the room, finding it empty. _Well, today is the day._ Ravenna gathered her meager belongings and left in search of the owner of the castle. She found him in the kitchen space, where Adrian was busying himself with parsing a piece of game. It must have been a rabbit. His hands moved with swift efficiency as the knife cut through bone and flesh. Her eyes were briefly caught by the sight before she spoke. "I am ready."

His gaze locked with hers shortly before turning back to his task. He placed the game into a container filled with cold water to rinse. "Let us go, then," the blond said after he washed and wiped his hands.

They returned to the study where he retrieved his coat and sword. They then crossed the castle in silence until they came upon the great stairway leading to the main corridor. They walked ahead onto the red winding carpet lining the floors as the wide gates opened before them, Ravenna quickening her steps to get past the impaled bodies as fast as her legs took her. They walked farther into the clearing before the woman faced him. "Well, here we are," she said, staring into the most peculiar irises of gold.

"This is yours," Alucard produced what the woman saw to be her lost dagger.

She gratefully took it from his hands. His face was blank, but Ravenna sensed he was preoccupied by a hidden notion or other.

"All in all," she braved, "Considering what happened and the darkness of the times we live in, I was fortunate it was _your_ home that I stumbled into," Ravenna tried a jest.

His unnatural silence held, and she wondered what it was that so suddenly garnered all of his awareness. His gaze had shifted to look through her, an occurrence Ravenna found utterly unnerving in the little time she had spent in his presence. She felt a trace of regret at the true meaning of loneliness which was this place. And if she were honest, it was mainly towards the self-imposed seclusion weighing so heavily down upon its master. "Farewell, Adrian," she said either way, "I hope you find the redemption you seek." When he said nothing Ravenna turned to the path she had previously taken to the castle. "Which way?"

"Where do you want to go?"

"I wish to find and walk amongst the Belmont ruins. Before I head for Styria I want to be certain there is nothing I leave behind which may be of aid to us."

Alucard sighed, and she missed the rather unconscious curling of his fingers. "Are you certain that is what you want?"

"It is what I traveled here for, in this land of mist and shadow, so yes," Ravenna spoke resolutely as she walked into the direction shown by the dhampir, "That is what I want."

He fell silent, and the woman was loath to disturb the newly settled quietude. The pressing sensation she felt upon leaving these grounds persisted. It did no good to one's sanity living the way he did; and now that she knew of the grief he bore, Ravenna found it difficult to dismiss the hesitation gnawing at her. But their ways were to part, and she had her own path to follow.

The young woman had not noticed when they took a turn around the castle, nor the dilapidated, crumbling structure which soon gaped as an empty charred shell before them. The weather was warm, and the sun shone all its blinding strength upon the decrepit blackened walls. Ravenna strayed out of her thoughts only to see Adrian walking straight towards the ruined remnants of a gate.

"What is this?" she called after him. "Is this the way?"

He turned to face her, spreading his arms wide emphatically. "This, is the Belmont Estate, formerly owned by the Belmont clan. Congratulations, you found it," he added dryly.

It took a few breaths for his words to sink in. "Why are you toying with me?" Ravenna hissed breathlessly.

"I do no such thing," Adrian replied. "This is the place you seek. You inadvertently stumbled into my castle, though your assumption was correct and your quarry a little ways before it."

Watching his eyes and mouth for any sign of derision and seeing none, Ravenna merely gaped at him, trapped and stunned. Then her eyes narrowed, and Alucard could sense how her blood ignited, its flavor all the more potent. She was furious. "You lied to me," Ravenna seethed.

"What did you say?" the words came slow and menacing, sharp as flint against steel. The light in his eyes gained a molten hue under frowning golden eyebrows. He had become deathly still.

Ravenna involuntarily took a step back at his darkening features. "You told me I failed. That I came for nothing," she maintained, undeterred by the way his claws sharpened. Briefly she was reminded of the happening by the stream, and the savagery he was capable of.

But the marring shadow slowly flitted and disappeared from his eyes, as Alucard regained whatever control had nearly slipped. "I told you the Belmonts were dead, and that their home was destroyed. You never asked me where it was."

"You _lied_ by withholding!" Ravenna sustained. But then her fire was doused by the realization that a deviation from her return journey may not be needed.

"I did not trust you any more than I could throw you, and further you were keeping your intent hidden."

"And now you do?"

"Now I... what?" the blond frowned.

"...trust me?" she raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Alucard appeared taken aback by her question, albeit only momentarily. "No. But now I know your intent."

Despite herself Ravenna felt mildly disappointed. "Well. Why have you chosen to reveal this to me, now?"

He sighed, inspecting the Belmont crest embedded into a wall before them. "Would you have rather started on another hopeless search only to return _here,_ if at all?"

Ravenna had begun walking among the rubble and skeletal arches, choosing not to reply. Instead she gloomily regarded the desolate remnants of a great family legacy. "No matter, as there is little I can see that survived the fire." Her head bobbed downward. "But, how is it possible? The Belmonts and Dracula have never quite been on amiable terms with each other, to live so close."

"I told you the speaker magician moved the castle to where we were at the time. Well, we happened to be here," he motioned towards the ruins with his arm, "at the Belmont Estate, in search of knowledge on how to defeat my father." As he spoke Alucard led them away from the estate and towards what Ravenna saw to be a large gaping pit in the ground of circular shape.

"And this," he told her when the woman came to stand beside him, "is the Belmont _Hold_."

The air left her lungs as though his words had been blows. Her head was swimming. Her eyes cut to his in wonder. "Explain," Ravenna managed to say. She saw a large wooden mechanism built above the wide opening. A platform, also wooden, hung over the emptiness, suspended by thick ropes.

As she followed him onto the platform Ravenna looked down to see a counter weight in the form of a large boulder fastened by the same ropes. When the blond pulled a lever, the great rock slowly rose to the heights, while they began a descent into the darkness.

Ravenna felt his presence behind her, still and icy as a winter day. As they were taken ever lower she recognized the Belmont crest, etched into wide hanging crimson tapestries lining the circular stone walls. Light pierced the space from above, and Ravenna was met with yet more signs of destruction.

"Let me venture a guess. More battles took place here," she spoke, her heart hammering in her chest. It was the sliver of hope that she may still have a purpose here.

"It was a mess," Alucard muttered as they reached the bottom. He left the platform and took hold of a wooden latch, bringing it down and locking it in place. "Come, Ravenna, this is in _your_ best interest, I believe," he prodded when seeing her hesitation.

Ravenna glared at him, and glared all the more when his face split into a haughty grin, mocking her. She squared her shoulders and paced ahead of an amused Alucard, going straight through the tall wooden door facing their position. The first sensation which struck her was a deep, empty chill prevailing in the underground space. And what Ravenna saw after left her speechless and her head began to spin anew. Not for weakness, but for elation.

"Their home did burn down and was lost, but their legacy yet lives, in this vault," Alucard spoke as he neared. "Everything the Belmont family had acquired in magic, knowledge, skill and tactics over generations is here. And I am its guardian."

She jumped out of her skin when many lights sprung into the darkness, as sudden as twinkling stars in an inverted sky. They illuminated an immense domed enclosure built on levels, and blinking Ravenna saw shelves upon shelves stacked with tomes. She whirled to face him. "How does the light work?"

"Is that truly what catches your interest the most?" he pointed to the stacks of manuscripts.

"How did this come to be under your care?" she descended the wooden stairs built against the entrance.

"If you remember the hunter I told you about... he was Trevor _Belmont_ , the last of his line - at least for now...-," Alucard muttered lightly though the words were lost on Ravenna. "He relinquished it all, to me."

"Then he must hold you in the highest regard," Ravenna uttered thoughtfully.

Adrian was silent.

"And why have you brought me here?" Ravenna continued as she approached. The meaning of it all was slowly revealing itself to her. If he was guarding this place, her access to this trove depended solely on him. On the whims of a half-vampire, who had nearly allowed her to leave empty handed while the purpose of her journey had been in his backyard, all this time. There was something. There had to be something.

Alucard crossed his arms at his chest. "You wished to search this place to find anything of use for your night creature serum. I am its caretaker, not its owner, and you may do so."

She took an intake of breath.

"But," he added, and then his eyes narrowed, "I do not offer this freely, and I have one question for you. You said you are a scholar in alchemy. What do you know of the mechanics of infused metals and their workings?"

"Enough for it to matter," Ravenna also crossed her arms.

There was a pause. "Then I have a proposal. This castle used to have a mechanism allowing it to move anywhere in the world. I do not intend on going anywhere but..." he placed a finger to his chin, "I find myself in need of an occupation."

"I am listening," the woman motioned warily though with no small amount of intrigue.

"Help me with my work, and you may freely do yours. You'll have your endless library to sift through, and I may have my engine room restored to functioning order."

 _And if I refuse?_ Was the first question about to blurt from her mouth, but Ravenna bit it down in time.

"Well, Ravenna of Styria, what will it be?" he leveled her with that golden stare, appearing as weary as though another power forced his hand.

"I can come here whenever I wish."

Alucard nodded once slowly. "And, of course you may..." he hesitated, "you may dwell at the castle, should you wish to. But you would be responsible for your own sustenance." He heard the red streams of life rushing through her veins, infused with both anticipation and fear.

"You have me at a crossroads, Adrian of Wallachia. I accept your proposal, for lack of a better one. But I have one condition of my own."

"Oh?" his youthful face changed in mild questioning and hidden amusement.

"Take those bodies down from your gates if you want my aid. It sickens me to have to walk past them every day."

"Your gall is endless," he said coldly.

"That is my condition. Do _you_ accept?"

His shoulders released some of their tension in the end, and the dhampir lowered his eyes. "I will grant you this, and nothing else."

"Then we understand each other."

He swept ahead in his even, elegant gait and Ravenna followed, still somewhat smitten by how her fortune turned so drastically in under one day. He lied to her, hid things from her, but in the end told her the truth. _What is it about you, Adrian?_ the woman wondered shrewdly as she watched him walk ahead, donning his black coat and gloves. Vaguely she wondered if he felt her on it, just as she had sensed him. She chided herself and buried the thought.

When they were in the midst of the hall he turned to face her. "Which section do you want to see first?"

Her gaze shifted from a shelf filled with various skulls to rest on him. His eyes were glistening copper gold in the weak light.

"Let us begin with you telling me about the lights," Ravenna waved a hand towards one of the brilliant inventions. She was met with a stern expression, and tried to see beyond his display but there was nothing.

His gloved hand then smoothed his coat at his chest, and Ravenna saw a fleeting sort of strain on his face which was gone in a moment. A smile took its place. A genuine, though somewhat tight and weary smile. "I thought you were a scholar." He then walked away and bid her come.

Her lip quirked in vexation, but she let it be. _A twist of fortune indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pop quiz: which line was a (not so hidden) reference to a certain traumatizing scene in Season III? I didn't make it very hard.


	13. Strange fates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: explicit references to death and related themes, below. This is an M rated fic. Whatever you see in Castlevania, you may at one point see here. But I wanted to add this just in case... far from me to hurt anyone.
> 
> Considering what happened with Taka and Sumi and the mark that whole experience left, I felt this had to be addressed. Hope you're all doing well. As usual, welcoming your thoughts on this.
> 
> R

It was night outside by the time she emerged. Ravenna stalked forward from the direction of the Belmont Hold, her mind full. It had been her first day of research amid the boundless knowledge contained in the vault, and as expected, she had gathered nothing as of yet. It was not the most heartening outcome, but then again, she had time. Her eyes and back hurt from the strain, but her purpose was a strong enough beacon of inspiration and determination. She would carry on, and do her best. But now her best mainly meant having a good, long rest. Even the prospect of lying down to sleep in that ghostly chamber allotted to her was most appealing at the moment. Then her thoughts strayed to the blond and their uncanny deal. It intrigued her, as Ravenna thought back on their conversation. Surely one held in respect by a Belmont, could not be inherently evil? But was that place truly bequeathed to him, or were they all lies? After all, a Belmont and a half-vampire... _No, a dhampir_ _,_ as Adrian had called himself.

Then again, if she was to believe her host, the two had worked together to defeat Vlad Dracula Ţepeş. _I suppose I will simply have to believe him, until proven otherwise._ She would be a liar to say their understanding did not suit her. A knot in her belly spoke of hunger, but Ravenna felt no inclination towards sustenance now. Not with all the work set before her. As she walked and neared the castle the woman noticed a brightness, hailing to the far eastern side of the clearing where the tall structure stood. Fire. _What is this?_ As she advanced closer Ravenna saw a figure standing there, tall and straight.

 _Adrian_. She had not caught sight of him all day, but then again she had been underground for most of it. He seemed drenched in thought and despite her previous resolution to rest, her steps led her right to him.

* * *

The lonely chirping of a cricket greeted the slow falling evening. It was warm this early in summer, but once the sun disappeared a familiar chill fell upon the rich, shadowed forest. Turning from the starlit heavens, Alucard set his gaze towards the pyre of kindling before him. Two bodies lay there, covered in wrappings of white linen. He had no knowledge of how funeral rites would be held in their home land, but considering the lay of _this_ land and its recent history, he had settled for burning them. _How ironic,_ he thought with a dark smile.

But now, as the dhampir was about to proceed in lighting the pyre, he wallowed. He could do nothing but gape at the remains of the ones he had once taken in and cared for. _Were it not for the Styrian, you would still be on display_ he thought with no trace of resent. He had simply ceased to care of the outside world, and they were a part of it.

How fitting and unexpected, that one of their own kind had indirectly spared their honor. Though he doubted they had ever known the meaning of such, living most of their lives in constant fear as slaves to a vampire. At first he had pitied them. Then he had become accustomed to their presence, and too blinded by his own foolish infatuation to see their thirst for control. Or perhaps he had not wanted to see it. Thinking about those times, as he unfortunately often did, Alucard would relive moments where a mere glance or a lingering look obtained a completely different meaning, and each time he felt parts of him wither and blacken beyond recognition. His own motives and state of mind from before were murky and vague now at best. He had needed... someone. He had needed a purpose. He had simply _needed,_ and they had so fortuitously found him. It all fell into place. But the memory of that night would still haunt, as would the burden of their deaths.

_You've been lying to us..._

_I never lied to you,_ he repeated the words they never heard. _Or did you?_ his guilt scorned. His eyes were caught by their lifeless forms, and he took an intake of breath, grinding his teeth. The dhampir willed the maelstrom to cease its churning within. If only he had told them of the weapons. If only he had told them the full truth, they may not have attempted their foolish plan. But a strange seed of unseeing doubt had kept him from being forthright, and here lay the true blame. His face changing into a bitter smile sheltered by the night, Alucard had to admit he had sorely misjudged their cunning; or their desperation, as it were.

He made an attempt to light the torch, but his arm fell back to his side. It seemed only yesterday Sumi had pleaded with him, watching him so longingly, maintaining they needed a friend. And fool that he was, distraught and shamefully in need of companionship _,_ he had believed them. He had wished to believe them. Yes, the fault was not his alone, but he felt a great part of it was. And they had been so young, younger than he. Now, having carried their decomposed remains unto their final resting place, it all resurfaced in a sudden, unstoppable torrent of emotions, ones buried deeply beneath layers upon layers of newfound resent and disappointment.

 _I should have told them._ He tilted his head forward, his hands clenching into fists. Perhaps it was the curse of his unnatural existence, for the ones he held dear to ever die by his hand? Alucard stepped forward and lit the torch. He glanced at the shells of his former apprentices, his supposed friends. Perhaps they had been, in the beginning. Who knew. Strange fates roamed this world, coming to strange ends. He lit the pyre.

Just as the kindling took to flame he heard footsteps approaching and refocused his vision. He discerned a silhouette in the night. _Speaking of strange fates..._

Alucard followed her with his gaze until Ravenna came to stand by his side, but said nothing as he turned back to the sight set in flames.

The woman wanted to ask him of it, but felt as though she would be interrupting a farewell of sorts. She looked to the rising fire engulfing the pyre, then to him, noting his aching features and how he stared emptily ahead.

"They were two human warriors, come from faraway lands," Alucard broke the silence. "They sought me for my aid, befriended me, then attempted to kill me."

This was unexpected. Her eyes cut to his, but the blond would not meet her gaze.

"... but, why?" Ravenna contended to ask, seeing as he spoke of his own accord. Then an image of his exposed skin came to mind. _The scars._..

"They fell... prey to their own humanity." A mirthless smile bloomed on his lips. "They wanted their own empire," he added, almost wistfully. Then, as the fire became stronger and soared upwards he turned to look her way. In this light and with those eyes and hair, this woman reminded him of the fierce fleet footed spirits of the forest, ones he and his father beheld during certain magical nights of the year; he saw them, swaying to the golden-red tunes of their spirit fires, beaming their enchanted smiles at him. He still recalled their ever-summer laughter. But these eyes bore wariness and fear behind their depths. She was only human, after all.

"It was a situation of kill or be killed, in the end. Not unlike animals," Alucard said to no one in particular. "Though now I wonder..." he turned to view the distant stars.

"And you were angry, hence the impalement," Ravenna uttered in contemplation.

There it was, the icy emptiness surrounding him again. Ravenna resisted the urge to step away.

"I was..." his words ceased as the flames grew higher and higher, _... Disappointed? Broken? Murderously grieved?_ "...I could not allow them their rest," he settled.

He felt a foreign pressure on his right arm. What-

Her fingers were gently placed on him. He looked into her face. "I regret your loss."

His eyes widened only slightly at the sincerity in her voice, written on her face. Yes, not unlike the Ladies of the woods she was, with those high cheekbones and that round mouth. He pulled his arm away and looked back into the fire. "I suggest you go inside. There will be a strong smell soon."

"I am used to funerals done in this manner," Ravenna said. "We had them quite often in Styria, for the same reasons." No one needed bodies susceptible to whatever evils roamed and attempted to inhabit them.

Alucard remained silent. Her presence was not truly that bothersome though her reactions, her seeming compassion _,_ were a little odd... irritating even. The dhampir lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs under him. From the corner of his eye he saw her do the same. So be it.

They watched the flames purify and change, their faces illuminated in passing light and shadows, until late into the night Ravenna rose to stand. She said nothing to him, but merely turned and left towards the castle entrance. As she departed the woman stole one last glance at him, an unmovable object in the bleak night. His eyes were set on the ground, his sharp features burning white gold. She turned away and left him to continue his quiet vigil.


	14. Deepest desires

The following day was settled for inspecting the engine room, which the dhampir had previously mentioned he would attempt to restore to functioning order. It was a bright day in the forest, half of which Ravenna had spent amid the tomes of the Belmont Vault, searching for hints to investigations into the make and reversal of night creatures. When finished she had then met with her host before the main stairs of the great Hall of the castle, and they began their ascent towards the sought for space. Ravenna looked him over, more a quirk of her trade really, and noticed that despite his late night incursion Adrian appeared if only a little less burdened, his gait not as tense, the line of his mouth less set. Or perhaps it was her eyes playing tricks on her, weary from studying all those types of handwriting for hours under low light.

"Here it is," Adrian said when they reached a high arched opening.

Her eyes went wide in wonder at the tall narrow chamber, bedecked with ruined cogwheels, sprockets, and pinions of various shapes and sizes. Golden summer light flooded the enclosure through a great arched window.

"Copper?" Ravenna inquired of the metal objects, receiving a nod from him in response.

"It was the most conducive for the type of energy powering the mechanism," Adrian said as he approached one of the smaller gearwheels. Ravenna saw a large, hardened leather bag lying on the floor, various utensils contained within. The blond knelt and spread the tools one after the other. After this her host produced a thin piece of silk string and tied his hair back loosely before rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. He usually wore white with black, she had noticed. Ravenna figured it was an aspect pertaining to his upbringing, which judging by what she had seen and discovered of him, had clearly been of noble ilk. A clinking sound brought her back and she saw him taking a peculiar metal instrument with forked endings, reaching between two gearwheels with both hands.

The image of the previous night resurfaced, with him sitting so still and silent for hours, staring into the burning remains of his former friends. He was alone, in the truest sense of the word. It was all much too unfair, for one so young to live through. Though Ravenna liked to scold her luck, she had benefited from the great heart of a noble in mind if not lineage, who took her as his ward. With their qualities and drawbacks, her fellow apprentices at the University became her friends. It was the closest to a family Ravenna had ever known. As her thoughts changed and mingled with others, she peered closer, noting the damage on each of the metal components in the room. Some were in worse shape than others. It was as though they had been melted close to their liquid metal state, but the walls and all else looked unburnt, untouched. Thinking back to what Adrian had told her of the speaker magician, she surmised this was the outcome of elemental magic interference.

"When my companion turned her will upon the castle, its workings resisted and fought against the intruding force," Adrian supplied, now drawing measurements on the cogwheels with a wide marked wooden utensil. "As you can see, this was the outcome," he followed her gaze to regard the ruined mechanism for the thousandth time.

Ravenna brought a finger to her chin, "Then all of this must be replaced, and the newly crafted pieces infused," Ravenna concluded. "That is what you need my aid for," she added, looking back at him.

"Precisely, for them to be receptive to the steering, which is another matter altogether," the dhampir removed more metal rubble close to the space where he had lain his tools. "But there is a little more to it than that. And first, I must take down the destroyed parts and see which ones could be reused. The copper used in their making will also need to be of a specific level of purity. Metalworkers and smiths in the area are not so skilled and a trip or two would be required to a few masters previously known to my father." He sighed and ran a hand slowly over his face. "I am far from that, though," Alucard finished, rising to stand from his bent position and wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"Do you have the skill to aid with the make and infusion of these components, Ravenna of Styria?" he neared the woman, his pale face a blank canvas, as empty of emotion as she had come to know it. It was less eerie than before, to feel those golden-yellow feline eyes on her. Eyes which mercilessly followed the changes in her expression, and Ravenna had the uncanny feeling he could read more than he let on. But how he did so, that was a mystery to her. She willed the thumping in her chest to quieten, and her own eyes cut to his before straying to his face.

Her lips involuntarily quirked at the edges.

"What?" Alucard frowned, seeing the Styrian approach until they faced each other. "My request amuses you," he raised a shapely golden eyebrow.

The display wrung a soft whisper of mirth, and he saw the woman bite her lip, her eyes narrowing in tune with her smile. Something felt raw and tight inside, and he averted his gaze to the window.

There was a thin, black mark of dirt or whatever else smeared across his cheekbone. It was on the same side and in the same place where his wound had been, an almost endearing contrast to his sullen bearing. Ravenna thought it gave him a rather childlike allure.

"I have the skill," she said, attempting to keep her smile from widening.

"I did not think you to be so thrifty with your words," Alucard muttered in mild irritation at her light-hearted manner. _I liked_ _it better when she feared me,_ he thought wryly.

She tried to lay heed to him, she really did, but in the end, Ravenna could take no more. Beyond her misgivings and on impulse her arm reached upward cautiously, and then her long fingers were touching his face to remove the distracting smudge. It lasted a moment before Alucard went completely rigid, drawing back sharply as though she had burnt him.

Ravenna was left with her hand hovering in the air blinking in confusion, so fast he had recoiled.

"What are you doing?" he hissed baring his teeth, touching his face where the offending fingers had been.

Ravenna shook herself back into reality, her lips parting in bewilderment. What was this now? She looked away from him. "There is dirt on your face." She crossed her arms. "I did not mean to offend," the woman tried swallowing her pique, unsure whether she may have broken some unspoken local custom or other. How could she have known?

When there was nothing Ravenna regarded him again, only to see the blond kneeling down before his tools with his back turned to her.

"That will be all for today," she heard him say as Adrian sifted through the scraps of metal with renewed intent.

Taken aback, tense and weary in both mind and body from her work and now his peculiar ways, Ravenna decided to retreat. Evening began its descent, and she found it odd how swiftly time had flown by. A new day awaited her tomorrow and with it more work. "Well, then, I will take my leave," Ravenna offered briskly and dourly, before the echo of her steps heralded her withdrawal.

She did not see him turn to look over his shoulder, listening to the sounds of her retreat until they were swallowed by the gaping corridors.

* * *

When she finally reached the former chamber of his mother which Ravenna had kept as per their agreement, the woman rushed to light a candle. The soft flame gave her more nerve. It aided in not listening to every hiss of air flitting through the crevices in the walls, not lingering on any supposed movement behind the curtains. Speaking of the curtains, the air was stale in the room and Ravenna crossed the space to the wide window, cracking it open. The cool night air and sounds of life from beyond the woods reached her in soothing waves. She then lay on the bed, reaching for the throw found in one of the drawers.

 _Never have I thought I would come to this._ A deal with a vampire, a castle with a life of its own, a trove of precious knowledge. _Not even a vampire... but the son of the greatest and most dreaded of vampire lords._ As she pondered, her thoughts returned to details of what the woman had discovered today during her research. And then, unwelcomed, in the midst of all her thoughts brimmed the memory of how his skin felt under her fingers, as a drop of blood on a white sheet. His previously scarred skin had felt fine and unchanged to the touch. Healed. It was still rather remarkable. Her head turned to one side, then the other. Her eyes closed, then opened. Nightly air fluttered through the heavy curtains, and they billowed with the draught in a ghostly dance. _Please..._ she willed sleep to enmesh her in its web, stubborn though it was in its arrival. As Ravenna closed her eyes again, she felt a pleasant flicker deep within which left her rather breathless. And then that flicker enhanced and grew, until its ripples engulfed her completely. When she opened her eyes, there was touch. A soft, unearthly touch, which slithered upward along her leg, lifting her white nightgown all the way to her hip. Ravenna squirmed, and as her vision refocused on her abode she drew in a sharp breath.

"Adrian?..."

It was him, lest her eyes deceived her. It was his light gold hair, loose around his shoulders this time. Those were his beautiful though saddened features, his unnerving eyes rimmed by long, dark lashes. He wore a fine shirt as usual, and she could see the slightly ragged edge of his scar peeking from beneath his collar. It was... it was his hand, his long fingers... touching her?

"Is this a dream?" Ravenna murmured, receiving no response as he reached for her hair and smoothed it over gently. His fingers trailed to her face, down to her lips.

It felt real enough, and yet he could not... she could not... It was then that her first basic impression of him resurfaced, like a fresh stream bursting from the depths of the earth. He _was_ devastatingly handsome without that scowl, there was no doubt about it. And he was lifting her to him.

"Yes, this is a dream...," Ravenna whispered as she was hedged into a sitting position at the edge of the bed, his hand splaying across her back. It was warm. It felt good.

Her hooded eyes met his, which were now gold and glistening red. His lips parted, revealing sharp fangs. For an unknown reason, the sight made her feel incredibly tense and trembling all over. Ravenna knew not what this was, but she knew somehow this was not... _A dream, a mere dream..._ she repeated to herself, though the nature of it took her by the greatest surprise.

Even more surprising was his smile as he then slowly knelt before her. He gingerly took one of her wrists, watching her closely. "May I?" came the silky question, and her heart and womb jerked in unison.

Unsure what she was even agreeing to, Ravenna nodded hazily, lost in his gaze as he brought her wrist to his mouth. His lips burned in a way which made her draw air between her teeth, and Ravenna propped herself on her other arm, her head tilting back.

She lifted her head at the sudden sting when he pierced her skin, and then an unexpected spasm of pleasure struck her with the pressure of him at her veins. The air left her lungs as Ravenna watched him feeding on her. This primal act of blood sharing causing her to feel stranger and stranger, feeling slick between her legs and only ever wanting more. Her chest rose and fell in heavy panting wisps, even as he reached and pulled the nightgown down her shoulders, revealing her pointed breasts. Her breath caught when he then reached between her thighs, spreading them slowly, feeling her flushed skin with his hand.

Another stab of pleasure caused her lower body to spasm as Ravenna recognized this need. She had read of it from the ancients when writings were yet unmarred by doctrine; of surrender and domination, of finding oneself in another. Of affinity and the deepest communion.

Her toes curling, her thighs tensing, Ravenna lowered herself boldly into his hand. Her head fell back again and her eyes closed at the warm, pleasing touch. _Nothing but a dream. Tomorrow, this will be a half-forgotten memory... maybe not even that._

While it was strange that she felt no pain, she was too far gone to wonder. Ravenna did not even feel him end his tasting of her and gently lick the spot clean, before rising to be level with her again. Adrian brought his face to hers, and Ravenna sighed at the heavy sweetness of that scent, one particularity she had always secretly enjoyed about him. Her fingers caught in his soft, pale-gold hair, lost in its waves.

"Come with me," Adrian called to her, and she nodded, still nuzzling longingly against his neck. She felt him shift and allowed herself to be lifted against him.

She was being carried somewhere but had no notion of where, and as Ravenna looked up to see his face she found it odd that his features were a blur. No, she should wake. What was happening...-

Her eyes closed.

They were outside, she felt the chill air and saw the endless array of stars overhead, dusting the velvet skies. There was cold where Ravenna sought a warm heartbeat. A warm summer wind ran its fingers along her skin, and every nerve of her body seemed drowned in anticipation. Her head fell back in his hold, her hair streaming lazily as it swayed down against the tall grasses of the clearing. His steps were slow and even, carrying her farther and farther from the castle, and into the darkened forest.

"Adrian..." Ravenna murmured when she was lying down again, the cold earth beneath her. She smiled as his hair feathered over her face when he hovered above her. He drew ever closer, his eyes gaining a green sheen she had never seen before, his mouth parting to reveal blackened sharp teeth-

Ravenna jolted awake to the sudden warm stream splashing across her face. Adrian was staring at her wide-eyed, a metal blade protruding from his chest.

She started to shriek, scrambling away into the darkness, suddenly feeling very awake and very confused, her eyes falling onto the body of Adrian before reluctantly turning to the figure before her. She froze.

"A- Adrian?" Ravenna screeched in disbelief, seeing him before her, his sword drawn and bloodied. And he looked very, very angry. His gleaming silk hair was in disarray, his eyes blazing red, teeth sharpened when he snarled.

Deep, otherworldly contempt was etched on his frightening features. He sheathed his weapon in one fluid movement. "Do you perhaps mistake me for your keeper, Styrian?" the dhampir hissed, bending and forcing her upwards by the arm so swiftly Ravenna had to prop her hands against him.

"What, no,-" Ravenna blabbered, dazed and confused, and no less afeared. "I was... sleeping and-" her eyes shot to the body lying on the forest floor, and she gasped.

Whatever it was, it was neither human nor vampire. It was certainly not Adrian. Its skin was mottled grey and not unlike that of a snake, its arms and legs clawed. Its mane of hair was also long and shimmering grey, hiding its features from view.

"You _must_ watch yourself here," Alucard stressed. "I cannot, and will not stand watch for every time you may be taking a wrong step," and he turned his back on her, heading towards the castle. He did not call to her, nor bid her follow.

Unnerved, flustered, and frightened all at the same time, Ravenna followed after him. "What kind of wonder was _that_?" she still wanted to know, trying to keep to his fast strides and mortified at what had passed, at what had _nearly_ passed. Her cheeks were still stubbornly aflame for completely different reasons. She crossed her arms to her chest, feeling all the colder in her thin shift and bare feet.

"An incubus," Alucard growled. A breeze lifted his hair and it gleamed beneath the silvermoon. "It bewitches its victim, spurs and brings forth your deepest desires, then draws you away for its final feeding," he paused, and Ravenna heard a sigh. "Did you leave your window open, Ravenna?" Alucard asked as he stalked forward, his brow creased in discontent.

"I... I...might have," Ravenna swallowed, looking downward and feeling guilt flooding in her chest.

He said nothing else as they entered the castle. Seeing how disheveled and irate he was, Ravenna found it best to turn tail back to her chamber, then thought better of it. She turned to Adrian instead. "Would you... please..."

Alucard bid her move forward, understanding her request. When, after a dark trek in complete and utter silence, they reached her chamber, her host stepped in first and inspected every corner, ensuring there was no peril. Ravenna lit a candle on a desk near the wide bed and went to close the window. After doing so, she remained there with her hand on the window latch, peering outside into the night. The ancient forest was still, its mysteries retreated beyond the sea of trees. Her mind was misty, her heart racing with the memory of what she had allowed surfacing from depths unknown.

_Your deepest desires._

Warm lips, sleek gleaming fangs.

_How laughable._

Pressure at her veins, inside of her.

_How absurd._

"Ravenna."

The woman stepped out of her mind and looked over her shoulder.

Adrian stood in the doorway, tall and straight, sword scabbard in hand. His expression had lost some of its sternness, falling slowly into the shadowed stillness risen like a shield around him. "You must be more careful," he said in the end, his words regaining the soft tonality of a grave.

Ravenna turned back to the window with a nod, unable to mull over it all yet and still shaking from the event. Demon blood was drying on her face, and had seeped into the cloth of her nightgown. She sighed, her fingers curling into the material at her middle. Her gaze then went to her injured hand, and the two near-identical puncture gashes marring her wrist. When Ravenna looked over her shoulder again, Adrian was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking around. Your thoughts and comments are always welcomed - and greatly appreciated. *wink*


	15. Morbid curiosities

She had not slept a wink the remainder of the night. Ravenna tossed and turned until daybreak, when she hastily dressed and crossed the many flights of stairs through the castle down to reach the kitchen. When she arrived Ravenna hoped to find water, in order to attempt and treat her throbbing wrist where the creature had sunk its teeth into flesh.

But instead she found Adrian. A damnable blush of both guilt and unease spread across her nose and cheekbones at the sight of his turned back, and Ravenna thanked the high heavens she had time enough to regain her composure before the blond faced her. The happening - sensations included - of the previous night was yet fresh in her mind, and she found it a difficult chore to meet his eyes.

"Well met," the woman greeted, her gaze flitting to the place where she thought the water containers were.

"What do you seek?" she heard him ask, and noticed the bottle her host held in one hand.

Ravenna placed her arms behind her back. "Water," she murmured. "And I would also need use of your supplies...-" she lifted her gaze to his. It was yet blank and void of feeling. Not like last night, unguarded and aflame. _It was not him. That was nothing but your own troubled mind under dark enchantment. Not him. And there is work to do_ _here_.

She nearly jostled out of her skin when Adrian spoke again, finding him much closer than before. "How so?"

"The incubus bit me," she managed.

"May I?" Ravenna heard him ask, and froze. Slowly she dared meet his eyes, appearing blissfully ignorant of the memory his words evoked. Then they were narrowing, eyebrows lifting in question, and Ravenna gathered she had been wordlessly gaping at him for too long. She retrieved enough of herself and gingerly produced her wrist, showing it to him.

Adrian made no movement but his gaze lingered onto the pierced skin. "It is not as grave as you would think. Water is over there," he pointed to the buckets.

Ravenna wasted no time heading to grab a smaller container to fill. Something irked her, ever at the back of her mind. "How did you find me, last night?" she asked with her back to him. "...how did you know?"

Adrian was retrieving a dark satchel from a cabinet. "Both I and the castle sensed a foreign presence,-"

"The castle _sensed_?"... Ravenna faced him, her curiosity piqued.

"This is not just any castle, Ravenna," he lifted his gaze to hers. "It has my father's magic rooted deep within. In any case, I had grown wary and went on a swift inspection of the grounds. I spotted the creature just as it was carrying you away..." he added in a darker tone.

"It was my fault-"

"Yes it was," Alucard chimed, causing her irritation to rise.

"-and I will ask before I act in the future. But you could have mentioned this was a problem," Ravenna failed to abstain from adding.

"Forgive me, Ravenna," his voice gained that scornful edge she loathed, "I am not quite so accustomed to housing maidens here, to remember all and anything that wants to either defile, eat or kill you."

Her face went beet red, but the sudden pain in her wrist was distraction enough. She had to make haste in its tending.

"Do you wish to eat today?" the question came.

"..." Ravenna blinked, now holding an ewer full of water. "Yes?..." she tried reluctantly.

"Then you may want to join me later," the dhampir said. "I assume you do want to know how to forage and find your own food."

Her belly tightened, feeling hollow. A muted dizzying spell of hunger gave her the answer. "Of... course, yes..." Ravenna was already walking away. Why would the image of him standing on his knees before her not fade from her mind? His lips on her skin-

_That was not him you fool._

Ravenna shuddered. "What did you see?" she asked suddenly, turning around.

"Pardon?" Adrian leaned against the table.

"When you spotted the incubus, what did you see? I know nothing of how they operate," she swiftly masked her true intent.

"I saw what you saw, a dead horror," came the words. She could read nothing on his face.

Ravenna released a short breath which he missed, turning to the entrance with fast steps. For once, the vastness of the castle appealed to her.

"Then meet me before the gates at midday?" Alucard suggested in her wake, puzzled with her manner. Of course, an incubus attack left its mark on the victim well into the day from what he knew, as would any encounter with a demon of the void for that matter. He heard a mumble which may have been a 'Yes' as the woman sped away.

 _Odd_ , Alucard concluded, if he were to compare this to the previous evening, when she surprised him with the impertinent overstepping of her bounds. But at the same time, the dhampir was honest enough with himself to admit his reaction had been more for shock than anything else. The touch of another had become a forgotten concept, and he felt disinclined to change that. So why even dwell on such drivel?

Why had he seen the image of _himself_ about to devour her last night in the woods? Why had he not told her? There was little sense to it, that was why. _Perhaps_ _my eyes deceived me_. He had been on his fifth bottle of wine at the time afterall, which was known to cause some distortion of vision. Yet he had hurried to reach his foe in time, keeping at a distance as to not be easily discovered and risk it killing her in fearful anger. It was only when the dhampir neared closer that he commanded his sword forward to slay the demon spawn. What he remembered was his own blood pumping up his throat, boiling with unease. Alucard shook his head tiredly, took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. He would not even attempt to understand.

* * *

Her swift steps took her to the library dome. Ravenna found the corner with healing supplies and began the task of disinfecting the wound. She then applied a quickly cropped together regenerative paste. She wrapped her wrist over best she could. The flutter of a bird distracted her, and Ravenna remarked how one of the panes of the great arched window was broken, allowing the presence of such highborne visitors. With this the previous night came to mind yet again, and the woman at once felt intensely uncomfortable. Her hand went to her middle, fingers digging in. Why him? Of all she may have wanted or wished for, why did it have to be him? Granted, she had been too fearful of him at first to see or feel what she did now. _Calm yourself, Ravenna_ , she reasoned. _All it takes is keeping one's proper distance._ And he was quite amenable to such, if his behavior in the engine room bore any indication. Yes, she would carry on as before and forget about it all. It was unspeakable, not to mention since it concerned one whose mind and heart were completely unknown and hidden to her.

When she was ready Ravenna pursued the direction of the gates. There was a slight hitch in her step when she beheld him outside, waiting for her. He wore his usual attire and was armed with his sword. A dark satchel hung on his shoulder. It was another rich summer day outside, and she thought its light lent his features an ethereal sort of beauty. He shone with the sun, but he rarely ever smiled. Ravenna found it a pity.

"What are we searching for?" the woman asked as they fell in step together.

"Eggs."

"Eggs?" she asked with a breath of laughter. Was that what he said?

"Yes, Ravenna, eggs. Mallard eggs, to be more precise. The waterplaces here abound in wild duck."

"Do they now," she looked ahead, feeling her step lighten with the surge of summer air around them. "The son of Dracula, embarking on the great quest for duck eggs!" Ravenna chirped then covered her mouth though it was too late, and her head shot to the side to look at him. His profile was strained. "Adrian-"

"Then you wish not to partake," he finished, a devilish innocence in his tone.

"I did not say that!" Ravenna rebutted his wit lightly, then caught herself. _Most_ _perilous_ , _this road_ , as her master would say. "Speaking of feeding," she tried another thought, "You said before that you had no compulsion to drink blood. May I ask how so? You are half vampire after all."

"Is this still a fear of yours?" Alucard asked absently.

"More a curiosity of my occupation," Ravenna offered. "Would consuming blood make you stronger than you are?"

"I told you before I dislike the taste," Alucard sighed, frowning. "Blood would aid in swifter healing, I reckon. But I do not require it to keep my strength as a full fledged vampire would."

"I see," Ravenna added.

"Besides," he continued as they walked amidst the trees together, "Believe it or not, I was taught not to cause suffering where unnecessary. Does that satisfy your morbid curiosity, scholar?"

She lowered her eyes in half a smile, "For the time being." It was warmer than she expected, and Ravenna found that removing her outer robe was a great improvement as her skin became heated from the thick summer scented air.

Alucard walked leisurely through the grass, allowing the song of the forest to overwhelm him. The sun was ever strong at its highest this early in the season. There was chirping, mewling and growling reaching him from afar, there was the sway of waters not far ahead, and the forest towered with its brilliance over it all in varying shades of green. And then there was the rushing and grazing of her robe against the tall thistle bushes, and the fresh scent of the blood he did not need. Its flavor still eluded him.

After crossing a strip of wood they reached what Ravenna saw to be a large lake, its green banks decked with weeping willow trees. And on its banks and in the waters, swam wild ducks with their bright colored coats of green, brown and blue.

The blond showed her how long to wait, where to go and how many eggs to take so as to keep things even. One needed not prey on everything, he had said. By the end of it the satchel was filled with a hefty number of their quarry.

"We are thieves you know," Ravenna grumbled lightly to Adrian as she gingerly picked two eggs from one nest.

"We do what we can to survive," he shrugged. Just then Alucard went completely still, and despite all she knew of him, Ravenna felt his hands on her shoulders. And then she could hear them as well. There was cackling and the desperate sounds of animals being harmed. "Someone approaches, it is best you head into the trees, and I cover us," he told her, ushering her away.

"But-," Ravenna whispered, "you do not even know who they are, or their numbers-"

His hand rested on his sword handle. "They cannot be more than the ones that were pursuing you," he said meaningfully, bothered by her hesitation. There was no time for such now. Alucard led her to the edge, "Wait here, do not reveal yourself and if things go rotten, run to the castle. There are weapons in the study, and potions in the laboratory beneath the library," he supplied.

The sounds from the intruders grew louder and he could discern their steps. He felt the scent of poisoned blood. "Go," he urged an uneasy Ravenna, whose hand was unconsciously clutching his arm. Alucard unclasped her fingers and drew away.

Her eyes saying more than her lacking words could, Ravenna turned on her heel and swiftly disappeared amid the trees.


	16. The only way

No sooner did he see her figure disappear amid the trees than Alucard caught sight of the approaching strangers. He saw three of them. He shifted into wolf form, commanding his sword to intervene at his cue just as they spotted him.

"By mother's damned soul, Zsuzsa, another wolf!" the first, a dark bearded man of considerable bulk spoke when his eyes fell on the animal. He wore dark leathers and a sword hung at his hip.

"That is no wolf, you idiot, get it!" the other stranger, a stocky female hailed even as Alucard leapt out of their way beyond the trees.

Alucard ran, leading them farther and farther away from the castle, the two men ever on his tracks. The pursuit lasted little before he finally decided they were far enough to command his sword to strike, when something dashed by him. Soon enough he heard it again, leaping out of the way between the trees, a lightning fast target none could strike. Alucard evaded another projectile hissing past him which came embedded into a tree trunk, but uneven terrain caught him unawares and he skidded to the left. He felt sharp pain spearing through his back, and then everything shattered and changed, including himself. He shapeshifted back to his two legged form even as he fell to his knees. _What on earth..._ he was convulsing, his limbs quaked and ached as the dhampir desperately tried to rise, to shift, to run, anything. But all he felt was burning pain shooting from his back, and a crushing unseen wall caging his powers. He was furious and seething red, gritting his teeth as two shadows loomed above him.

The bearded man and the other stranger had approached, and were regarding their prey. One of them spit to the side.

"So Zsuzsa has yet the unbeatable sense for these critters, Arpad," the bearded man said, watching the other stranger who bore the crossbow which had struck Alucard.

"Suppose she does, the blasted broad. We may get a good sum out of this one yet," the one called Arpad grumbled, looking to a furious Alucard with narrowed eyes. "Well met, treasure trove," he drawled, drawing an arrow from a quiver on his back and pointing towards its light grey shaft and tip. "Silver," the man grinned as he knelt beside the fallen dhampir, "and I know few fell things in this world that are as weakened by silver as you seem to be," he exposed his rotten teeth in a mirthless rictus.

Alucard struggled though the pain was excruciating, black drowning the whites of his eyes completely, his fangs and claws spearing sharper, deadlier. "What do you want?" he demanded.

The bearded one whistled in mock appraisal, turning to the woman who had approached them in the meantime. "Well Zsuzsa, I say we got ourselves at least _half_ a vampire, what'd you reckon? It may just be the one they said be roaming about these parts, killing people," and he made a suggestive gesture with his fingers, as though feeling coin. "A better fare for us if it daywalks, methinks."

The woman smiled dourly. Alucard noticed her eyes were deep and her jaw was grinding strangely. This one was in her prime years it seemed, dark of hair and brow, and her voice was grit and steel. "Take him to camp," she ordered, and the last Alucard saw was the hilt of a sword rushing to strike him in the face before all turned black.

When he regained his senses Alucard felt the deep harrowing burning anew, spiking under his right shoulder blade. He attempted to move but he was restrained on his side. His hands were tied behind his back, his legs bound together. He felt weak and his head was spinning, the pain flaring, as though thousands of needles were being endlessly plunged deeper and deeper into his self. As Alucard struggled a pair of hard leather boots were planted before his eyes.

"He's awake," a male voice muttered, and looking up Alucard saw the man with the crossbow. The dhampir hissed when heavy hands were digging into his shoulder and he was unceremoniously dragged into a seated position, harshly flung against a tree trunk. He growled in agony as the crossbow arrow still embedded into his back went through completely.

"Oh, it wails, Zsuzsa," the one named Arpad grinned.

"Once I am free..." Alucard said though his words were slurred, his head bobbing forward.

A bout of laughter reached him. "I should like to see you try, blood sucker. Silver rope," he pointed to the bonds holding the prisoner fast.

Alucard made one last attempt to free himself, coiling and striking forward so suddenly the hunter nearly fell on his behind. He rose and struck Alucard across the face with his crossbow, leaving behind bloody gashes which did not heal. Then he took the dhampir by the hair. "There are many people, much more unpleasant than I, who would pay much for a pretty, rotten boy such as yourself-"

"Arpad, quit taunting it and get your carcass over here," the hard voice of the woman reached his ears.

The other man had approached in the meanwhile, watching Alucard with interest. "Are there more of you?" he asked.

Alucard bared his teeth in a snarl.

"Bertalan," the other bellowed a laugh, "You and your unbeatable negotiation skills," he mocked. "Guard him," he threw to his companion as he left to heed the woman's call by the campfire.

"'Tis you and I now, dark prince," Bertalan scorned ominously, clenching his gloved hand into a fist. "Make yourself comfortable."

Alucard grunted as a well placed strike caused his weakened vision to sway, and his head fell back against the tree trunk.

"When our buyers are done with you, you'll be begging for that crossbow," he offered. His jaw twitched, and the dhampir heard the gnashing of his teeth even from his lowered position.

Alucard tried to regain his sight. _Enhanced bounty hunters,_ he concluded. That was the reason he had sensed poison in their blood. The elixirs and decoctions they used were fatal to one untrained and unused to their destructive side effects.

 _Well, this is most unexpected_ , he thought with a worrying amount of detached apathy. In a way, he cared little for his own life nowadays. Perhaps this was how it should be, for his death to come at the hands of his mother's people, lowly and abhorrent though they were.

 _The Vault. The Castle_.

What did it all matter in the end anyway? He had tried to put it to use, to teach others, to mold it into a new purpose. It all fell to ruin.

_You are a cynic, Adrian of Wallachia._

Why those words of all came to mind, and why they had to be _hers_ , he knew not.

 _Can you truly blame me, Ravenna?_ Alucard thought deliriously. He only hoped that by now she was far, far away.

* * *

Ravenna ran towards the castle, thoughts whirling, stumbling with her feet melting beneath her. _Three of them. There are three of them._ Despite his urging to the contrary she had stood and watched, unable to turn and flee. And before her widening eyes Adrian had shifted into the form of a great wolf, his light amber eyes the only sign as to who it was. Ravenna had then seen him flee and followed after when the stern woman hunter set on the trails of her men, helplessly watching as Adrian was struck by a crossbow arrow. And then he fell, and she witnessed him changing back to his first form, unable to rise. The woman followed from afar when they dragged him away, seeing the direction they were heading into, and how they fastened him with silvered rope which burned through his skin. It was then that Ravenna turned and ran.

How would she do this? _Weapons_ , Ravenna recalled his words. _And potions, he said there were potions._

She rushed and searched the study, finding nothing she knew how to wield. Then another thought struck her. She crossed two stairs at a time fleeing to her chamber and retrieved her dagger, following swiftly through the corridors to reach the library. Once there Ravenna searched the place. There were few items left to choose from, but one in particular caught her eye. Eyes narrowing, she took the flask containing a blue liquid and rushed back towards the gates. There was no time to waste, though she had no notion of how to do this, especially since Adrian had been completely subdued. _The only way,_ Ravenna emboldened herself while feeling miserably inadequate at the same time. She realized in passing irony how she had said the very same once before, when running blindly into his home.

The cover of night was a meager aid, but it would have to do. And she hoped and prayed his captors would spend the night and were still in the area. Ravenna rushed through the darkening wood with a hooded cloak shielding her face, swift and careful as a shadow. She crossed through the pathless forest, her movements shrouded by the moonless night. The faraway howling of a wolf reached her, causing her skin to prickle and shiver. He had done the same for her. _This is the only way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for roughing up my boi.  
> He'll be fine.  
> I think


	17. Your scarlet gift

The hunter's treatment left ruby red streaks in its wake, his orbit and jaw bruised and gashed. Alucard presently sat with his head bent into his chest, his eyes shut with the night. He was far from being asleep nor indeed could he with the harrowing pain caused by his silver bonds. Instead his sharp hearing discerned the night, from every woodland creature wading through the darkened forest to the ragged breathing of the two males who slept around the open fire.

When one had finished his guard, another took his place. It was the turn of the woman now, the one called Zsuzsa. Unlike the others she had a sullen and withdrawn manner, neither speaking nor engaging the prisoner in any capacity. But she watched, and her eyes were as sharp as shards of glass as they flickered over Alucard and the camp at regular intervals.

This one had a methodical approach to appraising danger. And with the way things stood, a bound half-breed, wounded and with his abilities weakened by silver was of no immediate concern, profitable though he was to them.

As Alucard waited, resigning himself to the abandonment of fate and even possible slavery from what he had heard, his thoughts strayed to his mother Lisa. He pondered deeply on how she had served humanity, how she had treated and healed so many of her kind; and yet it took only the accusing fingers of a few to condemn her to an agonizing and slow death. And Dracula sought vengeance for his wife, even to the detriment of his own son. His scar still ached at times, either with the weather or else by a strangeness of its own. And then, Alucard remembered how two people out of this whole wide world found him, and became his friends during times of immeasurable strife and grief. At first, upon their leaving he had missed them so much it caused near physical distress. And then he had fallen prey to his own delusions of happiness, which nevertheless ended with the deaths of two other people he once cherished. One way or another, none of them stayed. And Alucard of Wallachia had killed the one who _had_ , though perhaps that was a blessing even for the lord of vampires. The words they exchanged in his childhood chamber of all places, sparse though they were, would stay with him forever.

_I must already be dead._

He breathed unevenly, the memory of charred remains reaching for him, the empty eyes sockets bearing the night, the smell of ash-

Alucard lifted his head. Were his ears deceiving him, or had he heard movement?

Apparently, it was the latter, for the woman also went on alert, her stance going rigid, her neck craning forward to peer closer into the darkness through the thick wall of gnarled tree limbs.

Yes, there had been a stir. Absently he thought it was a wild beast and was about to meander back into himself when his head snapped upward again.

The scent...

_Her._

Her?

Absurd. Alucard watched the huntress as she leveled him with a hard stare before drawing a shortsword, and proceeding with slow steps towards the source of suspicious sound for closer inspection.

 _It_ _cannot be._ How could the Styrian be so utterly foolish? What did she hope to achieve? His mind overflowed with sudden unease, though he felt too weak to even be angry. Alucard could barely struggle anymore with the silvered rope suffocating all that he was and the silver-tipped arrow yet embedded into his flesh.

His vision unspoiled by the veiling darkness, Alucard saw the hunter head closer to the spot where the sound had come from. She went deeper still until the trees and the night swallowed her, and the dhampir saw her no more.

Alucard stood on edge for the first time this wretched night, wishing more than anything to be free, and for that troublesome Styrian to...

Was that her?

Alucard saw a figure approach from the direction the hunter had gone. She was rushing straight towards him, her eyes darting in every direction, her pulse chaotic. He lowered his head, the pain from his wound flaring with newfound force.

When she was close enough Ravenna rushed to kneel by his side.

"Adrian," she whispered, reaching without thought to lift his chin. Her eyes widened at the sight. She swiftly produced the dagger and began cutting through the rope.

"Why did you come?" Alucard managed weakly. "Is it your pleasure to taunt death?"

"Does it matter?" she hissed. "I am here now, so may as well make the best of it," she freed the rope around his ankles, then moved behind him to cut the bonds from his wrists.

"Where... is the woman?..." Alucard rasped in a hoarse, flat voice, attempting to keep his eyes open.

"I successfully threw a sleeper potion into her face," Ravenna answered quickly. "Can you move?"

"My wound," Alucard tried to rise but could not. "The silvered arrow... I cannot heal, it cages my strength..." His human side was truly the only reason he was yet alive, keeping the full effects of the damaging silver from manifesting themselves.

Ravenna looked him over worriedly, then her eyes shot towards the camp, where loud snoring sounds gave clear signs of how the others were faring.

What to do with him now?

She felt a sting in her injured wrist. Her eyes widened. "Adrian, listen to me," she hedged as his head fell forward, "Listen to me, " Ravenna took his head in her hands. "You said blood would help you heal faster, did you not?"

Their eyes met, his own glazed and weak but strangely alight even in the nightly blackness.

Without waiting for an answer Ravenna revealed her uninjured wrist just as his eyes widened.

"What are you-" he asked, mortified, wanting to stop her but it was too late. The blade of her dagger pierced and sliced through her wrist, and Alucard felt her sharp hiss of pain within himself.

"Do it," the woman lifted her hand to his face, the crimson stream pouring down her forearm, dripping down her elbow into the grass.

"No!" Alucard shook his head, "I do not drink, and not from you, I cannot..." he protested harshly, his movements sluggish and pained.

Ravenna peeked towards the campfire again, then turned to him. "Listen to me son of Dracula, it may have been an err on my part but now I am here, finding myself in the same danger as you no less, for I have no battle skill nor physical strength to speak of," and her eyes softened as they met his again, "have I come for nothing?"

"You do not understand," Alucard propped himself against a nearby tree trunk, trying to rise. "It... it changes me..."

"Please," Ravenna pressed, hoping the two remaining hunters would not stir. "If they wake, I cannot withstand them."

"Do not do this to me," he begged dejectedly, looking downward, "Do not make me do this, please..."

"Adrian!" Ravenna shook him, failing to understand his hesitation.

That and the desperate hissing of his name brought him back to reason, and with a frightened, hungry stare he followed the source of her scent.

It was there, flowing before his eyes, strong and heady; the crimson wail against her skin, calling to him. Alucard caught her gaze, watching her with a grimace. Watching her slowly lift her wrist to him again. He hesitated, looking her way one last time. Ravenna lifted her chin, her eyes bearing fear but also steely determination.

He closed his eyes and suddenly reached for her forearm, pressing his lips against the hot scarlet stream slicking from her wrist. The moment he felt its warmth on his tongue something went as taut as a bowstring inside. He ran his mouth along the fresh wound with a mindless groan that could have been a sob, nipping at the cut flesh, his long fingers spasming and quivering against her shivering wrist.

Ravenna trembled, struggling to keep her mouth tightly shut, the feral way he was feeding so new and overwhelming as sharp pain mingled with the sudden burst of fire in her womb.

His mind fogged. _Do_ _not do this to me..._

Reality faded. She tasted of life and unspoiled essence, of hope. Her heartbeat ran down his throat. As he suckled and licked at the red liquid Alucard began to feel significantly renewed, a dark force uncoiling itself from around his center and wreaking havoc on his strength, his limbs, his senses. He took more and more, wanting more than anything to stop but unable to, and it was then Alucard knew why the scent of her blood had always eluded him. It was so pure-

 _Virgin blood, of all things._ He had never tasted anything like it. He sighed lowly.

A sudden whimper made him snap his eyes open, and seeing her face strained in pain brought him back to swift and merciless reality. His lips closed around the self-inflicted gash to her wrist and Alucard released her, drawing sharply away, hitting his back so hard against the tree its bark splintered. _What have I done?_

Ravenna had fallen back as well, panting and watching him strangely as she rested on her arms, an unsettled spark in her eyes. She saw him square his shoulders, saw the gashes to his face begin to heal before her eyes. Alucard reached for the arrow still piercing his flesh and pulled on the shaft with a muffled groan, throwing it yonder. The wound immediately healed just as the others, and his eyes were blazing crimson as the dhampir rose.

He had not felt this way in years. Power raged through him, needling and demanding. Alucard clenched and unclenched his fist before looking at the Styrian again. He had to physically keep himself from reaching for her. _Bear_ _it, you can bear it._ He reached instead, offering her a hand to rise-

"Arpad!" a male voice bellowed, and Ravenna worriedly glanced behind them to see one of the hunters gain his feet, then the other. They were both reaching for their weapons. "Where the hell is Zsuzsa? Hey, you!" the hunter threw menacingly at Ravenna, but at one signal from Alucard metal lightning pierced the night, and both hunters fell heavily to the ground, their throats slit and gushing with their spilled life force.

Yes, it was good indeed to commune with his sword again, a feat previously unattainable with his caged powers. He turned to Ravenna briefly before stalking ahead into the wood with her following in his wake. When Alucard found the huntress lying unconscious on the forest bed, he stared down at her with crimson lit orbs, about to command his sword to end this once and for all-

"Adrian don't!" Ravenna went between them, shaking her head. His gaze was fair yet fell in a way she had never seen before, and there was no human emotion discernible whatsoever. Instead shadows seemed to swirl around him.

"Stand aside Ravenna," Alucard said darkly.

But the woman was undeterred. She stared him down though he was taller, before the memory of his sadness washed over her like poisoned rain. Her eyes softened. "It is not a fair fight."

"Fair?" Alucard hissed with dripping mockery making her wince, revealing his teeth still coated with her blood. "What is fairness? Was what they did _fair_? Was what they did to my mother-" Alucard took a sharp breath, feeling rather unhinged from reality. He willed his thought back to the present, willed the ruthless power flowing under his skin to recede.

"Please," she placed her hands on him. "Let us... let us return to the castle. There was enough death for tonight. Let us go home."

The one, single word coming from her caused his ire to simmer. _Home..._

_Fool._

But for reasons unknown, Alucard felt himself mellowing, his eyes losing of their scarlet light. He then remembered she was yet bleeding. He lowered his head in defeat and shook himself back into who he was before drinking from her. Pure blood harnessed a power so great within those of vampire ilk it was nearly debilitating. Without wanting to nor even knowing why, he swept her off her feet before the woman could protest - which she surprisingly did not - and disappeared with her into the forest, shrouded by the now quiet night.


	18. Changes

Ravenna glanced upward, to the lowered golden head, the eyes set on her wrist, then to the steady hands holding her arm fast. She was lying down on a table close to the apothecary section of the wide knowledge trove which consisted of his library and ruined laboratory.

A sharp hiss filled the space when Adrian poured a clear liquid over the open gash. His gaze flickered momentarily to hers before drifting back to the cut. The dagger had been sharp, and her nerves had been strained at the time. Thus the wound was deep, and as the pair reached the castle after an endlessly silent trek, the dhampir took Ravenna straight into this area to mend it. _We would not want you succumbing immediately_ _after such an honorable feat,_ he had said derisively. But in truth, Ravenna had sensed an eerie sort of unease reaching from him, along with the distracting sound of his heart and the feel of him, so warm and tense against her. In his arms at the time, the woman had completely and shamelessly leaned into him. And the silk of his bare neck against her temple was still etched into her mind, as was the beating of his life, pulsing through her with an intensity Ravenna had never experienced nor felt before.

"What type of alcohol is that?" Ravenna asked presently as the blond placed the bottle aside.

"A strong regional moonshine. It should prove a good enough disinfectant," he replied, reaching for a thread and needle placed aside.

It was true. Though a largely forgotten piece of knowledge nowadays which few but healers and scholars were privy to, the ancients had been known to resort to alcohol for the cleansing of wounds. And he knew of it, of course he would know of it. His mother had been a physician after all.

"Now, its use will be twofold," Adrian continued blankly, meeting her eyes again and handing her the bottle which Ravenna took with her other hand, rising into a seated position. She regarded the transparent liquid with a critical eye. "I must sew this, and we have nothing to numb you with, so drink."

Warily, she complied. Ravenna coughed her heart out after the first burning sip reached down her throat and poured its fire into her stomach, mellowing her limbs. She did not partake in alcohol and thus her body had little resistance to speak of. She made a face, "Disgusting."

"More, Ravenna. This will hurt," Adrian urged as their eyes met.

There was a sudden sizzle ringing in her ears when she now stared into those golden orbs and though Ravenna saw nothing in their depths, she somehow felt it all. His lips _had_ touched her skin, she _had_ offered him to partake of her blood... and it _had_ transformed him, if only momentarily, into someone much more ruthless, merciless and no less deadly. It was the great proverbial behemoth in the room, but none would speak of it. She had never been as frightened of anything before, not even when gasping for breath under a night creature's hold. Nor had she ever been as damnably excited. The thought caused immediate distress. _What... what is happening to me?_

"I have never done this before, mind you," Adrian broke the silence, finally looking away. "I have only ever seen my mother do it," he took the needle and thread, also placed into a dish with alcohol.

She could not do it properly herself anyway. Ravenna nodded in understanding, taking another swig of the moonshine. It tasted terrible but its numbing effects were already making themselves known. Just then Adrian placed a hand to her shoulder applying only a little pressure, urging her to lie down again. She startled, and as drawn by an unseen force their eyes met again. When had his become so dark? The shade of them was no longer light gold, no. His irises were now a reddish copper as they bore into hers. Ravenna swallowed and slowly reverted to her horizontal position, still unable to look away. And apparently neither was he, for the beam of his eyes still burned into her.

His lips, on her skin... _What in God's name is_ wrong _with_ _me_? the woman averted her gaze to the side.

As hours wore on since their return Adrian appeared to have regained himself, though Ravenna did not know nor understand his kind well enough to properly ascertain this. Though his drinking of her had seemingly been a deeply hidden and covert curiosity - if she were to judge by how the incubus had used it against her - the reality of it had been quite different, and in circumstances she never could have imagined. It had hurt immeasurably, it had been harrowing to feel her life force draining from her body. And when he ceased the unseen link had snapped, leaving her dazed, confused and... and... wanting? Part of her felt ashamed that she should think of him in this manner, knowing how troubled his mind and spirit were.

But try as Ravenna did, whenever he touched her now her body craved more pressure, more of _him_ , more, more, more... Her skin would burn, her heart would rage. A sharp sting woke the woman from her unsettling colorful array of guilty thoughts. He had begun to stitch the wound. Her eyes strayed unbidden to his deathly white face now strained in concentration, to his furrowed brow, the straight set line of his mouth. He was even paler than usual. If she did not know better and under different circumstances, Ravenna would think him absolutely adorable, an apprentice attempting his trade for the first time. Gods, she had nearly lost him. Ravenna shook the offending thought away. Yes, she was undoubtedly somewhat unhinged, delirious even... she must be. How could she lose something that was not even hers?

"What were they looking for?" Ravenna decided to switch her mind to matters more rooted in reality.

The needle pierced her flesh again, and his gaze snapped to hers as if to determine its effect.

"You have had the pleasure of encountering bounty hunters boasting alchemical enhancements to their bodies. Their livelihood consists of contracts for gold. Mercenaries, if you will. And when desperate they resort to actively hunting creatures of the night to sell for profit to other humans, ones foolish enough to think they can contain the forces of Hell, or else subdue them to do their bidding."

"Then you-"

"I was a fortuitous and valuable catch to them," Adrian supplied. His gaze caught hers again at the words, before trailing to how her dark hair was fanned about her on the table, then back to her face and down to the hollow of her neck. A smile caught her by surprise, dry and brittle though it was. "-would have been," he corrected. "That was very foolish of you," his voice came softer, or she may have imagined it.

A different sort of sting flared behind her rib cage as Ravenna turned her head, a light crimson blush spreading over her cheeks. "You regret it then... that I returned for you." She gritted her teeth and gasped when the needle pierced skin again. It still irked her less than his words had.

"Ravenna," the young woman heard her name, and it came different to her ears than any times before.

When she did not deign to look his way Adrian continued. "I am not at all ungrateful for your successful attempt. I only denounce its worth compared to the risk you took," but there was no admonishment there. Yet Ravenna could not place the emotion coloring his voice, if there even was any.

"That sounds pretty much like ungratefulness to me," she bit, her words slightly slurred. Her belly felt warm and her eyes had become glazed over. "And of the self-righteous sort, at that," she could not help but add.

Ravenna heard a scoff and none spoke again until he was done, cutting the remaining thread with a small pair of metal scissors. He then bid her stand upright and as Ravenna did so, she found him standing close before her. Adrian took her forearm and applied of the mixture she had previously prepared for her other wrist. And Ravenna could not help but watch him as he worked, keenly feeling the touch of his fingers along with the pain. He was very close, standing effectively between her knees as she faced him. This way they stood precisely at eye level. She wondered what it would feel like to bring her legs around him-

 _Be silent!_ the woman willed her troublesome mind to cease. Just then his head snapped upward, and their eyes met again. Still holding her wrist Adrian was now in the process of wrapping it over.

What to say? The way his eyes shone was new and no less strange, and why on _earth_ was he looking at her so... so... _Hungrily?_ "Thank you for doing this," Ravenna settled for voicing her gratitude, her mind significantly fogged over and numbed by the alcohol she had ingested. Had she drunk too much?

A line tensed in his jaw, and for a moment Ravenna thought his shoulders fought back a shiver, his grip on her arm tightening so briefly she may have missed it, if she had not been so very aware of him. His gaze sharply flickered downward. "Never again, Ravenna," Adrian voiced, and there was both a plea and a command there. "No matter the peril, no matter my state. Never again."

Ravenna knew what he meant. He was closer, he felt closer. She wanted to bring her legs around his hips, her hands around his neck and... she shut her eyes when fingers tilted her chin upward.

"Do you understand?" Adrian urged, his gaze burning into her lowered eyelids.

"Yes," the woman managed, wanting more than anything for him to cease this, this... whatever it was that made her insides boil and churn and her thoughts so inflamed.

When Adrian released her and stepped away she felt hollow.

"Do you think they knew who you were?" Ravenna voiced another thought. "Do you think they were looking for you?"

Adrian sighed and followed the veiled skies visible beyond the great window. "I do not think so. But they may have sensed my presence owed to the concoctions they use. It enhances their abilities to track creatures of the night."

"Where are you going?" Ravenna asked swiftly when he turned his back on her.

"To the study," Adrian briefly looked over his shoulder at her just as Ravenna stepped off the table and was on her feet. His face was open to her for once, and it appeared as though he pondered and weighed between a number of opposing notions. "If you wish and prefer to rest there instead of the bedchamber, you may come with," Adrian voiced tentatively, and taken aback as she was Ravenna failed to reply until he was already walking away.

Despite her weariness and addled state, despite all that had happened since life had her stumbling into him of all people, in spite of her two mangled wrists and his unusual and oft times contradictory manner-

It was all she wanted presently. "If that bears no trouble to you," Ravenna hastened heading towards him while also wary of his own condition. What did drinking blood after a time of abstinence do to one of his kind?

When she reached his side Ravenna was regaled with another of his wry smiles. It was not the kind which suited him best, but beggars could not be choosers. "Oh _you are_ trouble, Styrian. But of what kind, I have yet to determine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another reminder, this is a Castlevania fan fiction *romance*, which partly means Roses will be getting pretty hot and strange pretty soon. *grin*
> 
> And no, you have not seen the last of Zsuzsa.
> 
> Thank you for the time as always


	19. Hidden knowledge

"Well, is it the seventh shelf or the eighth?"

Ravenna peered into the immense register, her finger trailing down a page with embellished swirling writings, searching under the letter 'A'. "It should be the seventh," she called to Adrian, who was currently facing one of the thousands of tall shelves making part of the Belmont body of knowledge.

The young woman immersed herself back into her reading, but unbidden her gaze wandered off the yellowed veal pages, seeking Adrian who approached carrying a number of heavy tomes.

Since her wrists were in no proper working condition as of yet for her to be carrying things or climb precarious stairs, he had agreed to aid with her search and to retrieve the heavier materials needed for her to study.

Dust rose from the stack of books as Adrian placed them onto her reading table. "Anything at all yet?"

Ravenna sighed and shrugged rather resignedly. "I have not found any pertinent piece of knowledge to aid me, no. But there must be something here. There must." She looked towards the endless shelves burdened with works she may never get to read. "This is going to be a while," Ravenna then turned an apologetic gaze on Adrian, but his face was as impassive as usual.

"Take the time you need," he said, one long finger reaching to trace the cover of one of the tomes stacked on top of the pile. His gaze slowly drifted back to hers. "You once said you may have use of transmutation for your attempted serum."

Ravenna slumped her shoulders forward in another sigh, her pale hands in her hair, ruffling the strands in circular motions. Her eyes were closed and a tired frown crinkled her brow. "Yes, a by-product from the transmutation of the prima materia."

"The first matter, used among other things to create the philosopher's stone," Adrian said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Ravenna met his eyes, somewhat intrigued her host was privy to the details of this. "Which leads to another issue. There is no surviving knowledge on the transmutation of prima materia."

"None at all?" Adrian raised an eyebrow.

Ravenna crossed her arms. "Well, not unless you have a decrypted copy of the Emerald Tablet." She knew it was impossible. The ancient work had never been accurately deciphered by any known scholar to date, its secrets disputed but never fully revealed or demonstrated.

Seeing her disappointment was rankling him in a peculiar way. "I think it is time I left you," Adrian said, then looked to her wrists. "I do not believe you can lift the platform latch-"

Ravenna looked over the manuscripts splayed before her. "I will come up with you." She regarded the darkened vault sparsely lit by the artificial lights, which Adrian had told her were fueled by lightning. He had explained the method used was one inspired by a work which had once belonged to the great library of Alexandria, and somehow survived its burning and subsequent destruction. His father had come upon this knowledge during his many centuries of travels.

As she joined him Alucard said nothing but followed her with his gaze, placing the latch back when they had both stepped onto the wooden platform.

The need Ravenna felt in his presence was not as compulsive as before, when she had to actively avoid him for fear of doing something ghastly. But it was ever there in the back of her mind and chest. And despite this, she could still barely keep away from him for too long, and Adrian did appear less reclusive and hesitant when it came to her. That was progress, she supposed. As were most nights Ravenna would now fall asleep curled onto the divan in the study, rather than her own chamber. It was warmer there, not as removed from the strategic kitchen area and it was certainly comfortable. There was also the fact that _he_ spent his time there most evenings, and ever since the encounter with the hunters, Ravenna found it was better when he was near. She could not exactly tell the reason nor fully grasp it in mind or spirit, but she now heard and felt him differently when they were close. She even often thought she heard barely discernible, repeatable sounds, not her own, reaching as far as her lower belly.

"Hungry?"

She refocused her vision to find Adrian staring at her, half a smile on his lips.

Ravenna shrugged. "Is that an offer or merely taunting? I have not had time to find any eggs or-'

He waved her thought away. "I have something in the making. But first..." their eyes met.

As before and ever since the recent happening in the woods, Ravenna felt something raging in her ears, her throat, down her chest and belly whenever she stared into those strange orbs of yellow.

"Join me," Adrian urged as they reached the outside world and stepped off the platform.

Her curiosity piqued, Ravenna followed him as she shielded her weary eyes from the blazing sun, noticing in passing that it was midday.

Soon enough they were walking the castle corridors together and Ravenna saw they were heading towards the library.

"This way, I believe," he led her to the eastern side of the round dome structure, stopping before a line of shelves. He then took a wooden stair and climbed it to the top, his gaze searching.

Ravenna followed his catlike movements and her traitorous mind began its dribbling anew. Her eyes lingered on his well knit frame, his deceptively fair and frail appearance. The elegant way he moved and touched things. The way he had touched _her_ , when circumstances had demanded it. She still vividly recalled the copper color of his eyes then, the rigid set of his shoulders. She debated whether to ask if the blood sharing had any effects in the aftermath, if it had _done_ something to her, to them both. But then she blushed and buried the notion, thinking she would need to explain the effects and sensations plaguing her.

"This one here," his voice brought her back to reality.

She saw Adrian take a green tome in hand and descend to face her. He handed her the item.

Her eyes widened when reading the authorship. " _Hermes Trismegistus..._ this is a copy of the Corpus Hermeticum!" her gaze locked with his, her heart pounding behind her ribs with newfound strength.

"An alternate version Trismegistus himself wrote, annotated, among others, with the deciphering of your Emerald Tablet."

Her head was spinning, and Ravenna felt faint. "You... you had this all along?"

He was smiling, now of all times. "Apparently I did. And now _you_ have it."

"This is a treasure in itself," her voice was full of wonder. Then she frowned, her eyes cutting to his. "Again, you let me... " Then realization struck. "You did not trust me enough."

Alucard crossed his arms in a detached shrug. "I allowed you your research."

Ravenna was too happy and grateful to be upset. All her attention reverted to the manuscript, fingers reverently tracing the faded illuminations. "There is yet more to do but... but this saves me months, possibly years!" She wanted to embrace him so much but somehow succeeded to rein herself in, thinking he may not appreciate it. "Thank you, Adrian," Ravenna said honestly, holding the tome fast to her chest.

Adrian only watched her, and there was that bizarre silence again where each appeared to have something to say but none would speak. Ravenna noticed how light streaking through the window played in his hair, over his features. He was alight with the sun indeed, this unusual creature she at first feared and even loathed. It was cruel and bitterly amusing at the same time to think she could barely keep away from him now. Did he see it? Did he _know?_ She thought it would not matter either way.

"I will see you later, then? For the evening meal?" the words took her by surprise.

"Yes... yes, certainly," Ravenna blurted after a short moment of hesitation, still shaken by the discovery and now duly intrigued by this unexpected offer.

"Until then," Adrian turned away, his stride taking him into the direction of the engine room.

The young woman followed him with her gaze until he disappeared from view, and for moments unnumbered stood still in the endless library of the once greatest of vampire lords, holding the invaluable tome to her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact - all the concepts, authors and titles mentioned herein are real (or assumed to have existed in the real world), and all have to do with Alchemy.
> 
> Oh, what's that? *peers into the distance* Is that a storm brewing?


	20. Schemes

He reached inside the stove and retrieved the cooked dish, deeming it ready. He placed it onto the wide stove top, eyeing it critically. Hare would do, but it had been a while since he prepared anything for one other than himself. And even then, he had put much less care into it all. It would have been the same now, but she looked weak and needed something more than brambles and nuts.

Alucard sighed at the irksome thought. If he were being honest, guilt played a hefty part in it as well, for her precarious state was owed to his actions. It was hard enough now to smother all thought of her as it was. He had not told her everything, could not. He had told her drinking her essence would change him, and it had. But then there was the aftermath, the lingering need for more, and he thanked his human side for aiding with the niggling bloodlust that followed. The logical part of him knew there had been little choice. But now here he was, still thinking of her days after the fact, still hearing every whisper of her ruby red stream, attempting to shield himself from the scent of her apprehension and confusion, her fascination, her _desire._

It was partly the reason he had given her the manuscript. The sooner she had what she needed and left, the better. Alucard figured he would find another way to restore the engine room, he did not need her for it. He did not need her at all.

His heart denounced the lie. Though the thought of her stepping out of his life now did strange things to his mind and placed a shroud of loss over his spirit, Alucard attributed it to the yet active connection they shared. He nearly laughed at the irony of it... one unwilling, the other unaware. When Alucard had helped with her wrist, he barely kept himself from pinning her down, piercing her neck and having more. He had felt nothing like it before, the memory of his strength and heightened state while spiked on her blood still so fresh, so tempting. He had no need of blood in the genuine sense, because of the duality of his nature, but his father had warned him of its intoxicating and addictive effects.

He ran a hand over his face in exasperation. It was better now, easier to cope with. He no longer felt the pull of her, but something else shook him out of his usually resigned and morose state of mind. The way the Styrian looked at him. The way they could never say what lurked beyond their minds, and what he had discovered dwelling within her. Perhaps it was better this way; she had a different purpose here.

A rustling sound of material took him out of his thoughts, and his face shuttered when he beheld Ravenna entering the kitchen. One of her wrists was still bandaged, and she wore a flowing dark dress with long sleeves that flared at her hips. He did not remember this one. There was that quirk of her eyebrow which, he had come to know, heralded a biting remark or another.

"I never took you for a cook," Ravenna chimed as she eyed the cast iron dish.

Alucard huffed, placing the cooked hare onto the table. "Need is the greatest of tutors, but I think you know this." She smiled, and he bit the inside of his cheek. "But you forget there was a human living here."

"Of course..." Ravenna sat down at a motion of his hand, "Your mother. That is endearing, Adrian - that she taught you, that is!" she said, and there was honesty in her voice.

He placed a bottle onto the table, which caught her attention. "What is this?" she asked.

Her host uncorked the bottle and produced two glasses.

Ravenna had rarely seen glass items before, having not been in any noble houses to speak of. "No, I..." she lifted a hand when he poured the second glass, "...I am not accustomed to it."

Alucard looked aghast. "Try things before you denounce them, will you?" and he handed her the wine.

Ravenna narrowed her eyes but took the proffered item, her attention on the swirling of the scarlet liquid. She took a wary sip, finding it rich and somewhat dry to the taste, with a fruity aroma. Then her gaze caught his, and she cursed the blush spreading down her neck under his stare. "It is... good."

Adrian smiled haughtily, but she did not take the bait.

"No retort? Is there something the matter with you?" he continued to prod lightly.

Ravenna took a piece of game. "I am simply too happy and grateful to regale you with my stings," her light blue eyes bore into his, "Does my cheer bother you?"

He snorted and shook his head, valiantly ignoring the rushed flow from her center, hastening through her veins. It was much more potent. Perhaps giving her red wine had not been the best endeavor.

The rest of the meal passed in companionable silence, and the sun was yet to set when they retreated to the usual place where their evenings ended - the study. Ravenna had wanted to join him, and Alucard did nothing to deter her. She told him how wonderful the gifted tome was, how she had already delved into its knowledge, how it would be a significant step forward; how beholden she was for it.

Some time and two bottles of wine later, Ravenna sat sprawled onto her belly on the divan, her chin resting in her palm as she listened to him speak. She had asked of his family, and in a rare show of openness Adrian told her stories of his brief childhood, of the happy moments he remembered. The woman spoke of Styria and its workings, the hardships its people faced, of her own rather sheltered life as an apprentice.

Presently he was regarding the portrait of his mother that he had retrieved and now held in his hands. "I owe her most of what I am," he said, and it was releasing to speak of her to someone. Ever since she died, he had not spoken of it, truly spoken of it, to anyone but his father. And he was no longer here. "I was raised to believe I represented both kindreds, and to strive in becoming the best of either," his smile faded.

"The way you speak... is it your belief that you failed?" Ravenna wondered, saddened by his change of mood. He did not deserve this misery, the loneliness, any of it.

He deserved...

Adrian turned his head, propped against the backrest of his armchair. There was a glimmer in his eyes which Ravenna attributed to the wine. She did feel strange herself, her arms become slack, her head spinning; she was pleasantly numbed all over.

"I do not know, Ravenna. I used to think I knew what I wanted. Not so now."

His gaze raked over her in a way which riled, bringing forth the same need as before. She wanted him close, wanted _something_ of him. And he would not look away, not even when Ravenna rose unsteadily from the divan, slowly stepping towards him. She felt trapped, her body moving in a trance, guided by his stare.

Emboldened and rather dazed, she neared him, even as the light in his eyes changed from questioning to cold.

But he deserved...

For the first time since his feeding of her, Ravenna wanted more. For the first time she felt a calling, vague and smothered, but she knew it was _him_.

Alucard watched her warily, doing nothing when she leaned in, closer.

Her eyes were on his ageless face, trailing to his mouth - that sweet, dangerous mouth she both feared and craved to feel. But there came the vehement opposition of a wall, built of seeping resent and barely contained fury, and only late did she sense it was coming from him. His hands now shook imperceptibly and his fingers jerked, clasping the sides of his seat, his eyes lit with near bestial ferocity. He was frightening; he was beautiful.

Alucard swallowed. Yes, wine had been a terrible idea. What was she doing?

She felt no fear, but knew this was uncharted territory. Nothing of him spoke of permission or openness, but she felt he _needed_ this. Ravenna saw it in the way he watched her, heard it in that wordless calling surging through her.

"Adrian..." she reached and ran a hand through his hair, saw his eyes closing. There brimmed the need to show him there was more to life than pain, more to humanity than the ghosts of his past; she wanted to prove it to him. Ravenna allowed all the honesty she felt surface into her words. "I know what _I_ want," she told him, her voice gaining a throaty quality.

Gradually his eyes softened under her stare, the death grip on his seat relinquished. "And what is that?" came the barely audible question.

"More of... more of you," Ravenna said even as he went rigid, "...and I want to know what it feels like... to..." she reached for one of his wrists, running the sleeve of his shirt up to touch the scarred skin. When Ravenna leaned in, his eyes narrowed, and for the first time she saw a trace of fear in them.

"Don't."

His warning came faint, his voice strangled, laced with so much burdened craving it failed to discourage her. And he knew it - he also felt drunk on the scent of her blood, and as free as he was of the compulsion to drink her dry, it called to him incessantly, ever since the woman had foolishly offered it to him. The torturous pumping of violent red through her chest, into her womb, pulsing lower-

His eyes widened when her lips ghosted the corner of his mouth; the portrait slid from his hands, falling to the floor.

Alucard gripped the edge of his seat, and in hateful submission his other arm came strongly around her waist, drawing a gasping Ravenna rather clumsily into his lap.

He grasped her hair and buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in for a long moment. "Why..." he asked, the word muffled into her. A strange question, even to him. In a sudden move he sought her mouth, tasting her lips, lingering on the feel of them; feeding on her hunger.

She tasted of wine and berries. _This_ _is wrong, it is wrong,_ his sanity fumed, but the truth was he had missed this... this ache, the warmth of another. It filled the void, and she felt so _good_ against him Alucard was close to drowning. With a strangled groan of desire, he forced Ravenna into him.

The wood splintered where his long fingers clutched the armrest, but he could not help it. Something would break, and it was either this, or her. And the most disconcerting was how weak this was making him. It was a dangerous sort of power, and one that nearly cost him his life once.

But her scent...

"Adrian, _please_ ," Ravenna cooed, her hand trailing down his neck, gingerly following the line of his scar. Her fingers reached lower on burning skin, her palm splayed over warm, hardened muscle. His quickened heartbeat thundered under her touch as Ravenna nipped at his lips, smiling when he broke away to lead a burning trail from her mouth to her cheek, along her jaw, losing more of himself with every moment. The moan she had been striving to keep at bay rose in her chest, up her throat, smothered by his kiss; he suckled on her lower lip with a velvet release before pressing his cheek to hers. It was a feat to regain their shallow breathing.

Ravenna could feel something hardening against her hip as she lay draped over him on her side, and without thought pressed herself into it. She heard a harsh intake of breath, his fingers tightening around her nape.

Alucard let his head fall back and held her lower body down, kneading her against him in possessive, repetitive friction; his hand dug into her hip. "Ravenna," he whispered mindlessly, mirroring the pulsing rhythm of her blood in his movements. "Are you certain?..." His fingers tangled in her rich hair as Ravenna only nodded, swaying with his lead. It had been so long since he melted into someone else, and shared-

Ruthless, the memory of a similar event where dream turned nightmare resurfaced, turning pleasure to ash, and his mind began to seethe. This felt so sadly, awfully, familiar. But she would not... there had always been a type of honesty about her which Alucard tried his best to rebuke, and there was honesty in the way she touched and tasted-

...but it had been the same with _them_. He had sensed their lust well enough. And it had not deterred them from their plan of ending him, not in the least. He had been no less blind to their game, and what was there to keep history from repeating itself?

Even bearing these thoughts he still responded, crushing Ravenna to him to the point of painfulness, kissing her deeper. For one split shard of time he allowed himself the freedom to bask in the visions of her blood and need; of her lying on her back, flushed, her hands around her head; bared skin seeking him-

 _No_.

And from beyond silent hedges of thought the past burst to the surface, carrying all the brunt of scalding pain and irrational fear, burning away all hopes and desires.

Ravenna was utterly lost in the haze of his taste when with a hiss he sharply pulled her head away, severing their breathless kiss, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Is this your game, then?" he tilted his head to the side, his expression morphing into one of calculating feline curiosity. "Well? Will you tell me I am lonely?" he asked an astonished Ravenna, whose lips were now swollen and red, parted in surprise at the vicious interruption.

"What do you mean-" she gasped.

"Will you tell me it was time for my reward? What did you reckon? Well, pretty little fool, I am not so removed from your ways as you think. But I never expected you to attempt the same scheme," he followed, and his voice was ice. "How... disappointing."

"Adrian," Ravenna swallowed, "what is it you speak of?"

"You humans never do think too far ahead," he spoke, still breathless because of her, and all the angrier for it. "You think you know me so well, do you? You think you understand what my existence entails after what I've done?" he tilted his head to the other side. "Maybe I should turn you..." his gaze raked over her with contempt.

"No-," Ravenna croaked desperately, wondering where Adrian had gone. This was not him. "Please, I-"

"Why not, Ravenna? Don't you want to know what it _feels like_?" Alucard threw, his hand still harshly grasping her hair back so her slender neck was exposed. He watched her with a cruel smile, his darkened eyes following the rise and fall of her yet peaked chest through her dress, the life thrum of her neck, the lips he had tasted.

"There is no scheme!" Ravenna cried. "How can you say these things!?" she tried, deeply unsettled by the hateful manner of his words. "Think! Would I attempt to retrieve you from peril if I wanted you gone, if I wanted to hurt you?"

He huffed, a manic light brimming in his eyes. "You did not have what you needed yet." His fingers tightened in her hair. "You did not know where to find it, but I am sure you knew it had to be here."

Ravenna could barely believe her ears. Where had his usually unfeeling and pragmatic logic gone? "Damn this to hell I _feel_ for you, I only wanted to show you that I do. Adrian-"

Ravenna gasped when she fell into the armchair holding nothing. Her gaze shot upward to see Adrian on his feet.

"Get out," he demanded lowly, turning his back on her.

"Will you at least tell me what I've done? Please, forgive me." Ravenna rose to stand, one hand reaching for him. "Believe me, I would never harm you-"

She froze when he lashed at her, his vampiric side rushing to the fore, flaring menacingly.

"Get _OUT!_ " his harsh command echoed off the walls as Alucard rounded on her, eyes blazing red.

Shaking and truly frightened, Ravenna took one step back, then another. Her lower lip quivered; his touch still burned into her skin.

But then his stance mellowed as though he were suddenly very fatigued, propping his hand against the fireside for support. His shoulders rose and fell with each heavy breath. He was looking anywhere but at her. "I want you out of my home before the night is over," he ordered, making her flinch.

There was a wayward look in her eyes. "And where would I go?" Ravenna asked with a newfound, raking sort of hurt pride.

"That is your concern, not mine," Alucard retorted tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Adrian-," she tried again, only to be cut off by a scalding look.

"You will regret ever setting foot here otherwise," he snapped at her, his words chopped and shaking.

Trembling like a leaf, Ravenna bit down the crippling misery that piled up her throat. "I already do," she spewed before turning on her heel and dashing out of his sight, sparing no glance back.


	21. Rue the day

The cold night was dewy and humid, and her steps were swift and floundering. The lone figure traversed the forest path leading away from the castle, her gaze ever watchful. This was, after all, a most surprising country in its savagery, as Ravenna had discovered firsthand. But even though she was afraid, need and fury drove her more than anything else. A need to fly and be away, one which not even her fear of the night and its terrors could suppress. But anger was the most potent of them all. She had been somewhat of a fool.

Her boldness had been daft, and it was a foolish err to think she could anticipate him. But most of all Ravenna felt the greatest idiot for thinking she could help someone like him, in any way, shape or form. A part of her still wondered what had driven her to act as she did. She pondered on what had made her goad _him_ so shamelessly into intimacies he clearly had no intention of pursuing? Ones she herself had no notion of, apart from sparse learnings from forbidden writings? On the contrary, all of it had brought about such distress that Ravenna thought he may actually harm her, such was the insane spark of resent in his eyes at the time. _Hateful._ Ravenna bit back a sob as her steps gained in speed. _But not at first._ At first, his mouth had been warm and welcoming, his body so perfectly arrayed to hers, his touch so unexpectedly nourishing and enveloping. And it felt so _right_ to meld into him and all that he was; so honest and raw, as if his own life force surged within her through some arcane sharing... Her brow furrowed.

_The blood._

Of course, there had been surely something he did not tell her, either due to reluctance or from an aversion to delving deeper into what was an uncomfortable topic. Ravenna figured it all had a role, but it was yet to be the main cause. _More fool you, for dreaming of valiant deeds of caring for vampires and shapeshifters._

In her hasty flight the young woman had taken nothing except her dagger and the clothes she now wore - a pair of worn leggings and a long knee length tunic which she cinched with a leather belt. She had also taken a dark hooded cape from the few abandoned garments found in her borrowed bedchamber. When Ravenna fled from an irate and feral Adrian she ran straight to her room, and as she became engrossed in her hasty arrangements the gifted manuscript caught her eye. The woman recalled herself standing still and gaping at the tome for a good few moments, open as it lay on the bed where she left it.

_How could he think I did it all to use him, when I had not even the slightest idea this existed?_

He could not have been more wrong, but what was the use in wondering about it all anymore? Unfortunately this creature was clearly lost, whatever he had lived through bursting violently against any attempt of connection. Pridefully, Ravenna at first made for the door, intent on leaving his gift behind if only to prove her mettle. But then the young woman recalled the higher need which drove her, and the main goal leading her weary travels into this God forsaken country. For better or worse, it had been a gift. And she had nothing to prove, despite his delusional and hurtful accusations. And it would be put to good use, for his own redemption among others. No matter that he would never know of it. She took the tome.

Now, as Ravenna trudged through the forest she turned her head up to the sky, only to feel drops of wetness caress and tickle her skin in sharp cold beams. _Wonderful. Just what I needed._

She pulled the cloak and hood tighter around her shoulders, and grasping her dagger closely beneath the folds of her garment Ravenna pursued through the forest. She would not rest, she could not afford to. Firstly, it was perilous to linger, and secondly, she wanted to reach a human settlement as soon as possible. She had very little coin left, but it would have to do. Her return journey would not be an easy one in the least, but what mattered was for the tome to reach master Ovidius. Ravenna would have needed more time to read it here, in conjunction with the information she still had to sift through from the vault. But as things stood, even a partial aid was better than none.

She walked for most of the night, her mind full and spirit aching, fortunately encountering no setbacks of any kind. _Well there must be_ some _balance_ , Ravenna considered her luck wryly. She only stopped to rest for a short while, taking shelter beneath thicker crowned trees when the downpour became stronger. It was yet predawn when her wearied eyes caught a flickering light in the distance.

* * *

The rain returned. A curtain of mist veiled the view of the world from the castle, and the sound of water striking against its stone walls hammered its tune relentlessly into his mind. Alucard closed the book which had failed to capture his attention, and rising replaced it onto the shelf. There was peace, there was quietude. And then there was the half-empty beat of his heart, yet to be free of a burden he never asked for. Why this place? Why, out of all the places and people sent on one quest or another in this whole damned world, did it have to be _her?_ He still felt her presence, a day after her leaving. Or perhaps it had not even been that long.

As his feet took him to the study, Alucard tried and failed to forget and bury the trembling words thrown at him before he angrily sent her away. They milled and ruminated, leaving him more confused than the son of Dracula ever recalled, and more wanting than he dared to admit.

_I feel for you._

And the dreadful irony of it all, was that the moment the words left her mouth he believed them. Alucard had _wanted_ to believe the truth of them, but still failed to go past the wall so suddenly raised between them - one of his own making, at that. His tired gaze flitted to the window, and the dhampir went to lean with his palms against the pane. Well, she was gone now, and there was nothing he could wisely do about it. Nor did he want to, no matter how vividly her taste lingered on his tongue, no matter how much he wished to feel her hands on him again. Alucard had hoped this was all mainly owed to the remnants of her blood still wreaking havoc on his insides, but the stubborn feeling of loss and need persisted. He had done it only to protect himself, to keep it all from spiraling into disaster again.

 _And this is so much better,_ his divided mind quipped, and he grimaced before lowering his head. Alucard turned and looked to the narrow table, where two wine glasses still sat empty. Actually, hers was yet half full.

Pride had never been his main sin, and so that prevented Alucard from savagely rejecting the following thought. Had he made some sort of mistake? He could not run after her at the time, with his mind yet on fire and his spirit confused. The damage had been dealt and there was more harm than good to come of it. Well, it mattered little now. Once the darkness had receded from his manner that evening the dhampir sought Ravenna in her chamber, though what for, he knew not. Alucard may have wanted to discuss with her further. He may have wished to at least retract his threat, and give her more time. But when there was no response, he saw that the woman had kept to his condition. She was already gone.

With his thoughts as torn and being pulled apart by doubts akin to ravenous wolves, Alucard left the study to pace through the castle. The structure had regained its aura of pressing emptiness, and his ghostly steps were the only ones discernible through the gloom. The castle was barren, the gates barred once more. There surfaced a wish to be free of it, to leave the confines of its walls where yet another memory of loss now dwelt. Alucard hastened his stride, and wearing his long coat and sword he went outside. The heavy rain dampened his hair and garment, and he raised his head to the skies, allowing the cold droplets to fall and drench his fevered skin and eyes. He began walking again, straight towards the Belmont Vault.

Once inside Alucard pulled the lever which kindled the lights. What struck him rather unexpectedly, was that even here, _she_ still permeated the air. The memory of red forest berries and wine, and something of her on his skin nearly caused him to curl in on himself, such was the longing to taste it again. _What have you done to me?_ he wondered dryly, knowing full well it was unfair to think so. _The blood... it is only due to the blood._ Soon it would weaken, and he would be free of it. Or so Alucard hoped as he absently touched one of the tomes, still spread over the reading table Ravenna used during her time spent here.

 _Have I made a mistake?_ the stubborn question formed again, just as his eye caught another remnant of the past. Not far from him was an object which caused his golden eyebrows to form a frown. A wide, cracked mirror with an unknown script carved into its edges. It was the distance mirror he and Sypha had used to find and capture the castle of his father, once upon a time. It all felt like ages ago.

Alucard tried fighting it. He really did. But the hellish question remained, as did the torment of a longing he failed to completely smother. _But there is no other choice._ And it was all his doing. Alucard approached the mirror, another new thought brimming with ruthless insistence.

If only to know she was alive. If only to see she was well. He removed his glove, and using his clawed finger began to carve the required arcane symbols into the metal frame of the mirror. Alucard propped his hands against the metal edges. He looked downward with a sigh, a last moment of hesitation.

"Show me the Styrian," he spoke the brittle words unto the mirror, and before his eyes colors and patterns began to seep through the reflective surface in uneven waves.

And then there was her face, the arresting eyes Alucard had always found so unnerving and intriguing, try though he did to avail himself of their beauty. His chest was aflame with the image of her, so far and out of reach now. She was cloaked, and there was resignation in her tired gaze. Alucard could not see any more of her.

His hands trembled anew, and the dhampir rued the day she set foot into this tomb. And the realization that his fear had gotten the best of him struck its blows, and guilt began its festering torture. Deep within himself now lay the ruined remnants of a possible friendship. Alucard rested his forehead against the cold glass, and his sigh misted the mirror. His hand came splayed over the surface, fingers clawing over the vision of her face. "If only you had less pride, and I more sense..." he whispered to no one.

_I would never harm you._

Alucard stepped back from the mirror as if burnt, and the image of her disappeared. He placed his head in his hands, and under the weight of his mind, heart and the added burden of his mistake his knees buckled and he fell. But she was alive. She had survived the night, and as he had guessed and hoped, despite her lacking physical skills this woman seemed to thrive on willpower alone. She would make a successful return, and continue her work. She had to.

Now all was well and good, if only he could cease thinking about her. Alucard rose after a good while, wanting to busy himself with the mundane work of arranging items in the vault, an attempt to keep his mind anchored into the present. No sooner had he turned away from the mirror than a shrieking sound filled his ears. Screaming. There was struggling. And then his heart was beating wildly, as when faced with impending peril. No, these sensations, though alive and real, were not his.

Alucard sharply turned and approached the distance mirror again, placing his hands on either side of it. He took a deep breath, and before he could change his mind he spoke the words.

"Show me where she is."


	22. New faces, old grudges

A weary Ravenna peered beyond the heavy wooden gates, hoping someone was yet awake on the other side. With great relief the young scholar thanked whoever ruled the world when she had seen the light of a faraway torch, burning in the yet darkened morning. She was about to knock again when a bell began its chiming chant, in reckoning of the first hour of the day. If nothing else this was proof she had indeed stumbled upon a settlement, but it was one Ravenna had not passed through on her way thither. After the bell died her slender knuckles struck the wooden gate anew.

"Alright, alright," a disgruntled elderly voice began from the other side. "Got a bad leg y'know," the voice went on, and the trap door opened level with the woman's face. Suspicious old eyes were boring into hers. "Your name and your business," the watchman demanded.

"I am called Ravenna," the woman tried her most steady voice, though it came harsh with disuse. "I am no more than a traveler, weary and in search of lodgings."

The distrustful air held, and the trap door was closed. A moment later the gate opened either way, as was the custom in some areas once daybreak hit.

"Traveling alone are ye?" the somewhat raggedy old man placed his hands on his hips, shamelessly eyeing her as Ravenna strode past him. "And a woman to boot ... I'd watch meself if I were you-" the watchman added, but the end of his sentence was lost on Ravenna, now too preoccupied with taking in the new view before her. It was a rather large settlement, not quite a town but far from being a hamlet. Wood and thicket houses lined the uncobbled streets, and tall wooden gates spread unevenly delimited different homesteads from one another. Ravenna noticed folk were already up and about, most garbed in similar thick linens and furs as was the local custom. There was a bustle of men and women of various ages heading into different directions to pursue the labors of the day.

"Pardon me," Ravenna swiftly asked one passing peasant woman. "What is this place called?"

"Why ye find yerself in Bran, youngling," the woman replied hastily, rushing off before Ravenna had a chance to ask whether she could expect to find lodging of any kind. _Bran._ She had no notion of this place. Sleeping under the naked sky was not something she shied away from, and Ravenna had little doubt she would resort to such again throughout her journey. But for now, well, now she needed a good long rest and a warm meal. _And a batch of new memories, if possible_.

Ravenna walked along the main street, her eyes searching for anything which may have constituted an inn. Mud and dirt clung to her boots and the hem of her cloak, gathered along the wet road drenched in nightly rains. Ravenna sighed, shouldering the satchel containing her belongings.

Morning, midday and afternoon passed with little commotion and no success in finding a place to stay. Ravenna felt all the more despondent, though the reason had little to do with her uncertain options for the night. She felt empty and a little lost, in more ways than one. Something was missing, and it was not unlike an invisible string puppeteering her thoughts; they ever returned to him. She wanted to forget, but no doubt that would take time. She wanted his callous words to stop striking dents into her mind. What was causing the most distress was the way his merciless distrust had slammed against her, and during moments Ravenna could not erase from her mind however much she tried.

She regarded the bleak day, strewn with impending grey clouds looming in the distance. Ravenna wondered whether he was well, whether he was at all regretful for how it all spiralled down between them. After all, he _did_ have a human side, supposedly. Ravenna may have taken a wrong step herself, and as time wore on the stronger her conviction became. But her head had been full, of both wine and him and a ruthless desire she could not rein. _No use_ _regretting it now._

As Ravenna walked aimlessly with her head lowered, she failed to notice the hooded figure watching her from afar.

When she lifted her head the figure disappeared, but the commotion around her told the young woman she had reached the village marketplace. There were various merchants selling leathers, metalwork and wooden carvings among others and there was even a stand laden with smoked meats. There was plenty of mud here as well, giving the gathering a rather splattered appearance. Ravenna also saw chickens, goats and pigs put up for sale.

She waded through the crowd, considering spending of her coin on whatever nourishment she could find, when a wail was heard from without. The sounds were inhuman to the ears, closer to screeches than anything. She approached the curious crowd that had gathered, and craning her neck to see better Ravenna noticed a young girl fallen to the ground. Her body was contorting in strange positions. She looked to be in her early youth, and was a sorry state. Her eyes were rolled over so the bare whites were visible, and she was uttering sounds which would have caused a night creature to flee. An older woman was on her knees and attempting to keep her flailing arms at bay.

"Witchery..." Ravenna heard the word whispered by more than one worried face as the crowd gathered. "The devil has her, she is under its spell again," another was saying.

Ravenna sighed in annoyance, shouldering her way between them. _That is no spell._

She had seen this before during her studies. It was a disease of the mind and body, leaving the one affected too weakened and unable work or live their life as one would. The older woman was desperately trying to quieten the girl, now foaming at the mouth, even as Ravenna came before them and lowered herself beside them. "Hold her jaw," she told the woman, who confusedly stared at the stranger. "I am a... healer," Ravenna offered by way of greeting, at which point the woman's eyes widened. She did as was asked.

"She must not bite her tongue," Ravenna said to the frantic woman, moving the girl on her side before pressing two fingers to a specific place along the side of her neck. The screams and struggling ceased, and her arms and legs became slack. Her eyes closed.

Relieved, Ravenna caught the gaze of the older woman.

"It usually takes me much longer to still her," the peasant woman spoke then, her eyes full of worry and a sliver of gratitude. "I have never seen anyone achieve what you have done," she spoke in awe.

Ravenna nodded, still appraising the girl. "It merely requires a few simple steps. Your child has an ailment she will bear all her life," Ravenna leaned in closer. "And it has nothing to do with God or the Devil," she whispered, looking to the somewhat wary crowd. People had begun to disperse and go about their business once the wailing ceased.

"Well, whatever it is, I am in your debt-"

"Ravenna is my name, and I come from Styria," she offered. "Let there be no debt, I do not do this for recompense," she added.

"Well, Ravenna of Styria. I am Rafilae, and this is my daughter, Maria," the woman looked to the girl now nestled in her arms. "I have a cottage at the other end of our village, and though we have no wealth to speak of, I would still wish to repay you, somehow. Come, I think we have enough food to share for tonight, and you look to be in need of rest yourself."

Ravenna could do little to deny that. She _was_ tired, she _was_ hungry. "If that would not be too much trouble..." she said with little conviction.

"Bah, no trouble at all. I'll explain it to my man. Now come," Rafilae urged, and having nothing else to do nor indeed anywhere to go, Ravenna followed.

The cloaked figure watched them depart but did not follow, instead fading amid the crowd of the bustling market.

* * *

When night fell it found Ravenna seated on the ground at a wooden table in a small thatched roof hut, a steaming dish of root vegetable broth set before her. She was joined by her new acquaintances and hosts, both of whom seemed wholesome, hardworking people. Rafilae's husband Rufus had been an amenable man, and all the happier when he heard of the aid Ravenna had provided. The girl Maria lay onto a bed of hay not too far away joined by her many brothers and sisters, having regained herself in the meantime.

Her hosts were asking the foreigner of Styria her homeland, of her purpose in Wallachia alone. They were curious people, but Ravenna was at a point where she craved and welcomed the openness of human contact. She kept most of her goal and her trials to herself, placing forward the idea that she was a traveling healer. She then instructed the couple on a few techniques to help their daughter and spoke of the illness she bore. These simple folk were looking rather incredulously at her, still somewhat unable to believe their child was not possessed by any forces of evil. It was during this conversation that a vicious knock sounded at the door of the hut.

"Rather late for visitors," Rufus said with narrowed eyes.

All conversation ceased, and the man rose, taking a heavy pitchfork in hand. Ravenna and the woman looked at each other before rising as well, and she peered outside to catch glimpse of the intruder. Her eyes widened at the sight.

Six figures, all armed and dressed in robes of black and gold were planted before the homestead.

One of them pointed a long dirty finger at the black-haired scholar. "That one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, not these guys again...
> 
> Still wondering where Zsuzsa is?
> 
> Maybe I should have given this OC some powers to defend herself, eh? But, part of the fun of this for me is seeing how the 'everyman' would fare in a world full of overpowered main characters and 'human magics' as Dracula would say.
> 
> Thank you for your comments. You are truly amazing. They help, y'know? Lockdown restrictions have lessened here, but I think most still feel its alienating effects ( at least I do ).


	23. The kindness of strangers

Rufus went to stand as a shield before the two women, grasping the pitchfork firmly in his hand.

"The Lord's Horde," Rafilae placed her hand to her mouth, while Ravenna was suddenly looking about them for any possible ways of escape. Yes, she remembered their kind. She recalled the etchings of their garb and the ruthless dogmatism which drove them to blind murder. It was their kind who chased her on her way here that rainy day, whom she had barely escaped; who led her to...

"Are you certain?" one of the robed men asked.

"As I live and breathe," the man who had previously pointed at Ravenna said. "That is the witch Denes and the others caught in Rusi. When I saw her in the market today among commotion I could not believe my eyes. She drew out the devil from one, so there's further proof." His voice was dripping with resent. "I never thought she would dare show her face around these parts after what she did."

"What is the meaning of this?" Rufus demanded.

The first man who had spoken neared the peasant. He clasped his hands together in his faded robe, his air one of distinction. He had a long dark beard and wore a faded black prior's cap on his short cropped hair. "You host a witch in your midst."

Ravenna scoffed despite herself, looking inside but there was no means of escape.

The man continued his case. "She is responsible for the deaths of men in our brotherhood who tried to capture her near Rusi. We never saw them again."

"I am no witch!" Ravenna seethed, looking pleadingly to Rufus and his wife.

Rufus did not seem convinced either. "Do you have proof of this?" he looked back to the prior.

The prior frowned, his cold eyes gaining a mad glimmer. "You know our cause. You know we will fight for the Lord with all that we are, and against anyone who stands in the way of His justice," he looked pointedly to Rufus. "I would entreat you not to interfere with God's work, lest you are prepared to face the dire consequences."

The man briefly took in the various sharp weapons the others wielded. Their gazes were cold and there was the same spark of maddened devotion in their eyes.

The children had appeared in the entrance, curious and wide eyed. Ravenna sighed upon seeing them, then lowered her head.

"No," she placed a hand on the peasant man's shoulder. She regarded the prior icily. "I will go freely." She looked to Rafilae, who was wringing her hands. "Thank you for your aid." Then Ravenna swiftly retrieved her small satchel before hands were on her shoulders, and she was being dragged away before the startled eyes of the family who had shown her kindness. _It is true, everything does go in cycles_ the thought crossed her mind.

"What will you do to me?" she dared ask as one of the men pulled her hands to bind them. Ravenna struggled in vain, but the man forcibly revealed her wrist, still bearing marks from the incubus.

"Further proof, prior Horvath," and all gasped when they saw the reddened scars as he forcibly brought Ravenna's wrist upward. "Cavorting with vampires also, no doubt."

The one called Horvath sneered, his dark eyes set on a livid Ravenna. "We take her to the river," then his smile turned vicious. "You do what you will with her," the others grinned, looking at each other. "Throw her body in when done."

"No, please," Ravenna tried reason, struggling as her bonds were removed. "I bear nothing but knowledge, and have no skill nor anything to do with the dark arts-"

"Silence!" the prior boomed suddenly. He went into her face, taking a fistful of her hair and pulling so harshly Ravenna screeched in pain. "Where are our brethren then, hmm? There is nothing you can say or do to make me believe you, wench, save for their safe return. And even then," he gripped harder, causing her eyes to water. "You are still a filthy servant of the Enemy." He released her and bid them march ahead, Ravenna dragged in tow.

They soon left the village behind, Ravenna trying to come to terms with the fact that life was apparently not on her side. None dared intervene and there were few people out and about since evening had fallen. All feared the darkness and what lurked beyond it, and rightfully so. The tall woods soon swallowed the group, and the woman saw two of the monks had lit torches.

When Ravenna heard the murmur of water nearby she swallowed. They must have neared the river. She looked left and right, seeing nothing but gloom and asking forgiveness of master Ovidius in her mind for failing. They had taken her satchel away, reverently saying its contents were destined to be burned.

Then she was being dragged by two of them, struggling and panting towards the river bank. Her arms and legs flailed, and a powerful strike ended her wailing. Ravenna saw stars.

"Pin her down," one said, and they were about to do just that when something hissed past them.

Ravenna saw nothing in the dark, save for the torch fallen to the forest bed. Then she heard groans and muffled cries as bodies fell to the ground.

She rose swiftly to her knees, jumping to fumble onto the ground and retrieve her satchel which lay fallen nearby. Then her eyes fell on the prior and those of his men left standing.

A tall figure, bearing what she could discern was a crossbow, was facing them. She could not see who it was.

"If you value your life, you will stand down," the male voice sounded.

"End him," the prior ordered, ignoring the threat.

It all happened too fast. Whoever it was, there was no denying his skill in battle as soon the prior was left standing alone, ever pacing backwards towards the steep river bank.

"Stay back!" he cried, brandishing a long knife even as his opponent stepped ever closer, loading his crossbow.

"Jump," the presence commanded, aiming his weapon at the prior's chest.

"What?!"

"Jump," the man repeated calmly. "And you may survive. I will count to three, at which point your heart will be pierced by my last arrow. "Your decision," he offered as the prior kept looking back towards the gaping nothingness, then to the glinting eyes of the stranger.

True to his word, the man began his count, and Ravenna gasped as she saw the prior turn on his heel, skittering in the mud and leaping into the emptiness below.

Frozen with fear Ravenna went back on her arms and legs, grasping her satchel. What was happening?

It was then the stranger faced her, and drew back his hood.

In the fading light of the fallen torches she could discern a young face and light eyes, framed by long dark locks. "You need not fear me," he took one step towards her.

"Who are you, why did you help me?" her words came harsh and swift.

The man made no other move to approach her. "I am called Sandor," he began in a steady voice. "In truth, my main quarry was them-" he waved a hand towards the fallen men. "They had dues to pay, and I had been following them for a while now. And you?" his eyes bore into hers. "I doubt their hunches had anything to do with the truth, but I can imagine why they wanted you dead."

Ravenna crossed her arms around her satchel as she rose. "You do not think me a witch, then?" she dared, wishing she had her dagger close.

The one calling himself Sandor then took another step towards her, and Ravenna took a step back.

"Not until proven otherwise," the other grinned, somewhat surprising her. Then, "You seem to be lost, and not of this land by your accent. Do I strike true?"

There was no use hiding. "You do," Ravenna offered warily. "All I wanted was a quiet night during my travels, but life had other plans, it seems," she ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

Sandor seemed to ponder. "Well, I cannot imagine you would prefer to spend the rest of your night here."

Trusting strangers had brought about both ill and good. Ravenna considered her choices. "And I suppose you have some sort of proposition. Do you think me a fool, _Sandor_?"

"I do not know. Are you?"

She gritted her teeth.

The man turned from her to walk ahead. "My abode is half a day's travel on foot from here. Should you wish for another chance at peace, you may come with."

All sorts of warnings and fears surged through her mind, but Ravenna found herself trailing after the stranger. "How do I know you have no foul intent?"

Sandor stopped in his tracks, turning his head. "You do not. But you are free to choose, are you not?" and he resumed his stride.

Ravenna felt cornered, looking about herself, hearing the hissing of the river and the foreign stirrings hidden amid menacing boughs.

"Wait!" she cried. "Wait... Sandor," the woman quickened her pace, falling in step with him. He was quite young, taller than her and looked to be very strong. Strong enough to overpower her surely, Ravenna thought as she tried to gather as much from his manner as the darkness allowed.

"And what name will _you_ give me?" the man broke the silence, showing no surprise at her decision.

Ravenna hugged her satchel tighter, sighing in defeat of her fears. "You may call me Ravenna."

* * *

The wolf ran. He sped across the forest, across beaten and unbeaten paths, until the invisible trace of her led him towards what he recognized was a human settlement. Of course, it made the most sense she would cross through here.

The white-grey shadow with eyes of gold approached and waded through the night as if it were one with it, gone unnoticed amid the sleeping village. Her scent and the grip of her blood was nearly faded, and he could not sense her as well as before. But he focused his will and followed the weak unseen guidance, going straight until he reached a small house at the edge of the human dwelling.

Alucard shed his wolf form and approached the door, hesitating mere moments before pounding heavily. It was not long before a slightly aged face appeared before him as the door cracked open. Tired dark eyes widened, and the door was slammed shut but not fast enough. Alucard had grasped the wood and no matter how much the man tried, he could not bring it to close.

"The woman. Where is she?" Alucard asked without preamble.

"What..." the man gasped in surprise. Alucard saw he was armed. "We are nothing but simple folk, and wish to invite no trouble into our lives. Whoever you are and whatever you seek, it is not here."

Alucard looked the man square in the face. There was no time for this. "I know her. And I _know_ she was here. I also think the one I seek may be in danger."

The man was taken aback yet again, and Alucard felt his insides go cold at the bare truth revealed on the other's face. "Please," he tried, appealing to the shred of humanity keeping him from tackling the man and making him speak. Then he saw a child appear in the doorway, and the man swiftly bid him back inside. Alucard tempered his urge.

The peasant watched him. The unusual presence sounded as though he were of this land, and yet a creeping shadow loomed over and around him. What the man did feel was deeply unsettled, though he could not discern the other's features outright in the blackness of night. He appeared torn between the push of his instinct and his mind. "And you are not looking to harm her," the peasant said warily.

"No," Alucard spoke with all the honesty he could muster, shaking his head. "I could not, even if I tried," he added, though why he felt the need to express this to a stranger was a mystery. But then he realized why. He was desperate.

Looking behind him the man closed the door, nodding to someone who had been hidden from sight. He faced Alucard, taking in his noble appearance and the weapon he bore. Sighing deeply, he began to speak.


	24. Choice

The man called Sandor spoke little, as she came to find. But he led them through the dark with enviable skill, and having no choice Ravenna did her utmost in keeping to his lively pace. They could not linger and so they did not, and a predawn twilight draped the world by the time they reached a lonely murmuring stream in the woods, set in their way. Ravenna rushed by the bank and knelt to the ground, allowing her belongings to fall at her side. She cupped her hands and proceeded to wash her face.

The icy water was invigorating to her tired skin, and it was much needed after yet another sleepless night. All that had happened left her drained, both of body and mind. Ravenna felt depleted, and aching in more ways than one. It was rather astonishing to find how many tints and shades of pain existed. Until recently she had only known the physical kind. Even now her head and feet complained the more she pushed herself, but the young woman steeled her resolve and marched on. And the stranger would not wait. Ravenna saw he appeared to be in some amount of haste and she attributed it to his outspoken wish in reaching his home sooner than later. Yes, physical pain she could weather. But then there was the darker shade, the one which clouded the spirit and turned the soul into a murky basin of regret and resent. That which came of need and remembrance. She missed him.

Just as Ravenna was foolishly dwelling on the memory of summer bloom scents and porcelain skin, she felt Sandor come to stand beside her. Looking upward Ravenna saw his gaze cast ahead of them.

"You are weary," Sandor stated without looking her way. "We are not far off now."

He had revealed that his hut was located near the main road she would need to take in order to eventually reach the northern border of Wallachia. Ravenna recalled that path through the mountains previously taken, and decided that would be her goal. For better or worse, she was yet alive and in good strength, though the dent in her chest remained and the storm clouds burdening her mood persisted. She loathed how images flitted before her mind's eye and refused to disperse. Most involved _him,_ in moments she both wanted to relive and forget. Ravenna wondered how he was faring, and ached all the more thinking of the emptiness he dwelt in, and of what brought him there.

"Here," she heard, and turning her head saw Sandor's outstretched hand, offering her something. "Dried bread husk. Not the most sought for delicacy, but it goes on the road. You must be famished, you certainly look it."

Ravenna eyed the offering with unveiled suspicion, and Sandor sighed tiredly. "Why would I spare you, only to poison you later?" His crooked smile revealed straight even teeth.

She thought there was something wolfish about his appearance, as though he was ever on edge and scouring his surroundings for unseen foes. Still Ravenna conceded and reached for the piece of dried food. She was so weak her head had begun a light spin. "Thank you." As Ravenna revealed her palm to receive the offering her naked wrist was exposed, along with the two bite marks still marring her skin. She saw his gaze linger for mere moments before his eyes slowly trailed up to hers. Ravenna took the food from him and hastily retrieved her wrist. "It is not what you think."

"And how would you know what I think?" Sandor sat down crossing his legs, completely unaffected by what he had seen and apparently uncaring of her unease.

Ravenna lowered her eyes to the flowing waters. The growing variations of birdsong heralded an early dawn making its way through the forest. "I was attacked."

"And your other wrist?" Sandor asked then, his tone unchanged, and Ravenna felt compelled to tell him it was none of his business. Then again, she did owe him civility for the essential aid he provided if nothing else.

"That is too long a story to tell," Ravenna settled, and to her relief there was no prodding from his side. She saw him shrug from the corner of her eye as Sandor rose to his feet.

"We must resume," he said shortly, and though her bones and muscles gave her the usual grief Ravenna rose with a sigh and retrieved her satchel. His question had stirred memories she would rather stayed buried, but there was no such luck. She still felt his desperate grip, remembered his lips, the way his silky tongue licked the blood off her wrist. And then he was holding her to him, his hand roaming over her hip, pressing her against-

Ravenna stumbled on a jagged rock she had not seen during her daydreaming. She groaned in pain and cursed, for the first time in a long time.

Sandor was smirking when she passed him by.

They carried for yet some time, their boots gaining the sheen of dew as it veiled the land in a vaporous shimmer. In the light of day Ravenna took to studying her guide better. He wore leather garments of brown and black. His crossbow was slung across his back, and a number of short blades were lined at his belt. He was young as she had first surmised, with bright green eyes and dark brown hair. His square jaw boasted no facial hair though it was framed by messy locks, and Ravenna had the queer impression she had seen those features before. She blinked the strange thought away. She did wonder at his occupation, while at the same time considering it was perhaps not the brightest curiosity to have, concerning an armed stranger one stumbled upon in perilous woods.

It was not long before Ravenna discerned a structure looming ahead of them, and she saw the young man quicken his steps. The time may have been early in the morning.

"And you say the road is nearby, somewhere?" Ravenna called after him, inspecting the area and finding it quite wild and hidden.

"That it is," Sandor offered as he walked, turning briefly to see if she followed.

The structure was clearly discernible now, and it certainly looked to be more than a hut. Its walls were well built and straight though in a deprecating state, and the house boasted a stone roof. It did not inspire too much trust, not in the least, but anything would do. Anywhere safe from beast and demon would do. To Ravenna, respite had never been as rare a commodity as it was now. She turned a bleary eye to Sandor, who had neared the wide darkwood door and produced a large key. The man unlocked the entrance and went inside, Ravenna following in his wake. There was a bothersome, prickling sensation at the back of her neck, surging down her spine, but she attributed it to her debilitating exhaustion.

"We have arrived, sister," Ravenna heard Sandor speak as she entered, and frowned. There was someone else here? A family?

As she passed inside upon the creaking wooden floors, Ravenna looked up curiously, to see a woman sitting with her legs crossed on a wooden table. She went livid.

"Well done, Sandor," the words greeted her even as Ravenna whirled towards the door, in time to see the man locking it.

"Deceiver!" she cried, but Sandor only crossed his arms and looked away.

Ravenna turned back to face the woman, who had risen in the meanwhile and was approaching her with a predatory gait. She narrowly avoided the gloved hand swiping at her even as another seized her roughly by her collar. Ravenna stared into glinting eyes of an inhuman shine. Eyes she had seen before.

Zsuzsa watched her with contempt, shaking Ravenna harshly for good measure. She leaned in and inhaled Ravenna as a wild beast would. Her face darkened. "Disgusting. You _reek_ of vampire," she hissed, throwing Ravenna to the ground.

Ravenna turned to Sandor. "I trusted you," she seethed.

Sandor seemed not to hear her, studying his fingernails with increasing interest. "I beg your forgiveness, but family comes first," he muttered.

A guttural sound which may have been laughter left Zsuzsa's throat. "You will find less mercy from my brother, believe it or not, than you would from me." Then the huntress knelt beside Ravenna, who had hunched into a wall with her arms protectively around herself. She was yet attempting to comprehend the enormity of it all.

"I must admit, it was a good day indeed, when I caught sight of you in Bran. There you were, straggling through the mud, wide eyed and looking so very grieved..." her face changed, and there was an unnatural glint in her gaze. "I had to take this chance you see," she reached for Ravenna, who drew away. Swifter than lightning Zsuzsa grasped Ravenna by her throat, her eyes narrowing. "I remember you well, oh yes. It is because of you that a good part of my guild is gone. You threw that potion at me, little witch. When I regained myself they were dead, and you were gone. You and that _vampire,_ " she spat.

The grip of roughened hands grew tighter, and Ravenna was soon gasping for air under the huntress' unyielding fingers.

"Well, either way," Zsuzsa rose, hovering over the young woman. "Before I could act those fucking tramps interfered. And so you see, I had to send Sandor to retrieve you," and she aimed a glance at him.

"What now?" Sandor asked, still propped against the door.

"I always liked to think of myself as practical," Zsuzsa continued. A wolven smile lined her features. "But those _were_ our brothers." Her messy hair waved about her face as she reached and dragged Ravenna up suddenly.

"You should have thought of that before leading them into a life of hunting things that feed on humans," Ravenna threw, cursing herself for her foolish trust. It would be the end of her. "He _spared_ you," she seethed darkly.

Zsuzsa struck her across the face so hard blood spilled from the corner of her lips. "You will lead me to the vampire." She gripped Ravenna's chin with bruising strength, and her eyes gained a murderous sheen. "And you _will_ stand and watch as I spear him full of silver. Then, I will cut out his heart and severe his head from his shoulders." The huntress gripped her still healing wrist so powerfully Ravenna hissed in pain. "And once he is turned to ashes, I will attempt to at least get my money's worth out of _you._ I have friends you see... and you seem to be out of an occupation."

"And what if I refuse?" Ravenna braved.

The huntress laughed with the burgeoning intonation of one gone mad. "Then I kill you _now,_ and track him down anyway. Of course," she waved dismissively, "it may take me longer, but in the end, _girl_ , I always get what I want."

"You cannot, he will kill you, you know he will," Ravenna said hastily, trying reason. "You would be going straight to your deaths," she hoped to deter them.

Zsuzsa rolled her eyes. "And who said we would be going alone?"

Those hard cut orbs were unwavering as the huntress spoke, and Ravenna shivered. She thought of the manuscript, and of her goal. If she met her end here the valuable piece of aid may never reach master Ovidius, leaving his research barren and lacking an essential component. And she will have failed. Staying alive was the better option. Staying alive meant chances of escape, however improbable. And despite her heart crying traitor and her chest caving in on itself at the thought, Ravenna hoped Adrian would somehow become aware of the intruders in time.

"Well, what will it be? Live or die? Choose before I lose what little patience is left to me," the huntress growled.

Ravenna lifted her head. Her hands balled into fists. "I choose to live."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait for it...


	25. Surrender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You didn't order any mush? Here's some anyway. *slides chapter over*

Daylight flitted in narrow shafts through the greenery. The wolf was yet following the path, making use of his heightened senses. His heart hammered, relentless behind his ribs. When he reached and saw the scene strewn with bodies by the river edge, he had become nearly maddened with worry at first. He had her scent but there was no sign of her. But amid the stench of death, her scent lingered and was that of one living, and it flowed in the air akin to a beacon following towards a different direction. She was yet alive, she had to be. The wolf ran through the boundless wilderness, guided by both his tracking abilities and the desperate urge of his spirit. He encountered not a living soul in his way. Then, as he pondered on what he would say or do if they did meet again, if he did find her, well and unharmed, Alucard heard movement ahead. He lessened his speedy gait, taking shelter amid the underbrush. He lowered himself closer to the ground, drawing near to what he discerned was a clearing in the forest.

It struck him like a bolt of lightning. It meandered through his mind, trickling into his chest and the wolf began to shake imperceptibly. It was her, it had to be, though he caught sight of no one but-

The wolf coiled in on himself, his eyes widening.

Before his vision, seemingly taking a respite, was Ravenna. She was flanked by-

 _It cannot be._ The bounty hunter he had spared... it was her no doubt, Alucard remembered her well enough. He snarled.

"We take the west route, the others will be waiting for us at the inn," the huntress was saying to another, a male Alucard did not recognize. Then his eyes flickered to Ravenna again, and anger burned, mystifying and menacing at seeing her sorry state.

There were only two opponents from what he could tell. Thoughts meshed and his mind burned from the strain of trying to make sense of it all, struggling to reach a conclusion as to why Ravenna was in _their_ company. He was certain that it was not of her own will. She looked morose and resigned, and his bearing fell into disarray with worry. But she was alive.

Just then the two hunters rose, their limbs taut, their faces on alert.

"What is it?" Sandor asked his sister, who had already retrieved her crossbow and was loading.

"Foul presence, that way," and she pointed straight towards the area where Alucard stood, yet hidden from sight.

Sandor took a distressed Ravenna by the arm. "Try not to die, yet," and he pushed her aside, turning to inspect their surroundings together with the huntress.

Ravenna felt a dark veil shroud her mind and stepped back, looking frantically about herself. In a way, she welcomed any deterrent to their goal, though the chances of surviving a night creature mauling on her own were scarce. If it even was a night creature. She shook herself and with iron determination Ravenna decided to do her utmost to live, and use any chance for an escape.

She heard the harrowing sound of arrows hissing through the air, turning to see the hunters follow something.

"Sandor, down!" Zsuzsa bellowed, her weapon aiming at the flash of red which sheared through the air about them. She missed.

Ravenna felt her clothes billow with the rush whirling about her, and though her sight was not fast enough to catch glimpses of the disturbance, her heart began a wild cadence.

Just then amid the mayhem she heard a pained groan and a tumble, and whirled around to see-

"Adrian!" she cried despite herself, seeing him attempting to rise, an arrow embedded in his calf. Their eyes locked briefly before a triumphant sound of satisfaction had her turning to Zsuzsa.

"Well, well, well..." the huntress gritted, her eyes alight with the fire of battle. She turned to Ravenna. "It appears your beast misses his pet," she met the fierce eyes of Alucard. "You made my task all the easier." She loaded a large silver tipped arrow, pointing it to Alucard's chest. "The end of your ilk," she smiled wolfishly as Alucard struggled to one knee in removing the silver from his leg, unable to resume his attack.

She could not think. She did not think. All Ravenna saw was black engulfing the corners of her vision, and all she could feel was a deep and vicious pounding in her ears. And then she was hitting into something with all the strength her body could muster.

The huntress fell to the floor in angry astonishment, grappling with a now desperate Ravenna. Sandor briefly tore his attention from Alucard, and that one mistake was all it took.

All of his fury unleashed, Alucard hissed as he tore the arrow out of his leg and flung his arm forward.

A beam of silver cut through the air and Sandor fell to his knees. His hands reached to stop the gurgling at his neck, red pooling in rivulets down his chest from a gash so deep it had nearly beheaded him.

The huntress struck Ravenna so hard her arms and legs went slack, and hastily rose to aim her crossbow anew, growling in animalistic anger at the sight of her fallen sibling.

Her wild gaze caught a glimpse of angry red rushing towards her. It was the last memory burnt into her eyes.

Ravenna tried to rise, a part of her face already bruising black and blue. Finger marks lined her jaw. Her gaze fell upon a lifeless Zsuzsa, her eyes rolled back, the anger frozen on her features even in death.

She gained her feet, then dared to lift her gaze. A shiver coursed along her spine when Ravenna was met with the feral appearance of the one facing her.

They gaped at each other, both panting. The red flames of his eyes were receding as the dhampir tried to regain himself. Though he was free from the pull now Alucard could still feel her, all of her, from her flaring disillusion to the irreverent beating of her life. Before he could open his mouth to speak Ravenna closed her eyes and shook her head. The words died on his lips as the woman rushed over without warning, all but tackling him when they collided even as he brought her to him with a sigh of relief. Ravenna threw her arms around his neck, and they stood so for a long while, still amid the silence. Leaves fell in idle swirling motions from the trees above them, this sudden peaceful aura coming in strange and bitter contrast to the bodies and seeping life staining the forest bed.

Ravenna softened in his arms. He had... come for her? All this way? There was no doubt, what would he be doing here otherwise? She held him tighter though the hurt caused by his words and actions that day stung deeply, and though all she wanted was to melt into him Ravenna could not shed it. What now? She had decided upon a return to Styria after all, determined to reach her homeland in one piece even with her research unfinished. Ravenna wordlessly tore herself away from Adrian and began walking ahead, leaving him staring at her turned back. With measured steps he followed after her.

"Why are you here?" the young woman tried to keep her voice level. She herself was shaking with him so near, it all felt so unreal.

Ravenna heard nothing for a long time. "Do you not know?" Alucard asked, daring one step closer. His eyes had regained their usual burnt yellow hue.

"Should I?" Ravenna retorted bitingly, wrapping her arms around her middle. As soon as her spite left her mouth she regretted it. "They wanted to hunt you down."

"I know. I surmised as much."

There was a long silence, more than she could bear. "I never thought... I did not think I'd see you again," Ravenna said on a shaky breath.

Alucard clenched and unclenched his fists along his sides. "I wanted to find you."

"Why?" Ravenna turned her head.

Despite considering it all before, his thoughts appeared stifled and choked, and it was an arduous task to offer a worthy answer. "I thought being on my own was the best course. I thought..." he looked to the side. "Well, I did not think too much past my fear, if I am to be honest." Alucard paused, the revelation unexpected even to him. "I thought, that once the blood I drank from you faded I would be free of this, free of you. And now it has, and nothing changed, and I still want..." he sighed, "I wanted to see you again. I had to know you were safe."

Her shoulders tensed. "You called me a schemer." Ravenna failed to keep the hurt out of her voice. "You actually believed I would harm you," she huffed mirthlessly.

"I will make no excuses as to that," Alucard looked down pensively. "I did think so at the time."

Well, he was certainly not helping. "And you preferred I flee from you in fear, rather than share what ailed you." Ravenna whirled to face him. "How could you-"

Her words caught in her throat when she met his eyes. They were so full of stifled longing, and he looked so despondent Ravenna could barely hold his gaze. She turned her back on him again.

"You do not know everything," Alucard pressed his eyes closed. "I will... I would like to tell you of it all, should you wish to hear it," he lowered his head, listlessly staring at the empty space between them. "I was wrong to act as I did. Ravenna," he drew closer. "The truth is, I fretted finding you were like the others, and-," he decided to out with it, "-and that would have destroyed me."

He saw her shoulders stiffen as Ravenna bent her head into her chest.

Out of all else he may have said, this gave her pause. And should she hold him fully responsible for the fears keeping him nailed to past hurts? Better yet, could she? The young woman froze when she felt him, so distracting and near; Ravenna did nothing as his gloved hands came placed on her shoulders, trailing down her arms, hesitatingly leading her to fall into him. "It was the safer path to take, frightening you away."

Wild joy mingled with anticipation were keeping her rooted to the spot. Ravenna had never felt so very torn. She wanted to chide him and to understand, for once to truly understand him, but all she could do was lean back as Adrian brought his arms around her. There was a novel drowsiness, but also renewed hope with the feel of his chest pressing into her back, his life thrum so erratic. Ravenna heaved a ragged breath. Her head fell back to rest against him.

That was all he needed. Ravenna felt the side of his face pressing against her temple. "It was cowardly of me."

Everything was skewed. Her entire purpose of coming here, his confusion, their feelings, the need to feel him again despite his savage rejection, the height of his loneliness she had fallen from-

Ravenna brought her hands into her hair, inhaling shakily. "What do you want, Adrian?" She needed him to say it. If she were to throw all her decisions to the wind, she _needed_ to hear it from him.

"I do not know," his grip on her tightened. "But I know your friendship and your company, are..." His chest seized, and Alucard faltered as he considered the very real possibility of losing her. "I know that what is left of me I would now gladly lay at your feet."

"So you _are_ lonely," she wanted to hear him admit that, too.

"Ravenna," Alucard began with a sad smile, "before you came along I was considering staking myself. But then, you irked me, you drew me out of my cycle of misery and self-pity with your honesty, your humanity and your care; and as I was searching for you I realized there was more to it all, more to life, if I allowed it," his words were muffled into her neck. "Yes, Styrian, I am lonely. It has been so for a long time. I renounced fighting it. But then you came and left, and now it is unbearable."

No surrender had ever sounded so sweet and goodness she was weak, from the great relief taking over to the buckling of her knees, to the painful tightness in her center at his closeness. Ravenna felt herself become unfettered, any ill feelings she may have harbored turned to ash. The pyre in her chest burned too bright.

"But if... if my actions have led you to... to want nothing to do with me-" Adrian went on, yet oblivious of her melting into nothingness against him.

Slowly Ravenna turned to face him, placing the tips of her fingers to his lips. His lashes fluttered closed, and Ravenna became fiercely aware of every warm wisp of breath ghosting her skin. This was a nightmare and a dream.

As she regarded him in silence Alucard was close to crumbling before her, to offer her all and anything, if only she would stay. When he opened his eyes there was a smile blooming on her face.

Luminous blue met radiant gold as Ravenna was drawn into him. Her lips parted in a sigh, saying more than words ever could. She felt his presence tangling with every fiber of her being. The ribbons of his burning irises were drowned in black.

Caught in her rapture she still somehow managed to speak. "No more secrets," she said firmly after a long silence.

The gleam in his eyes changed from broken to hopeful as Alucard took another moment to study her features. He felt her small fingers curling into the material of his coat at his chest. He cupped her face in his palms. "No more secrets."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So listen, I didn't plan this to be a very long fic. Hence we're nearing the end - a little ways to go. I hope you like lemonade.


	26. Kindled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You probably suspect what this chapter will be all about... ye be warned either way: explicit scenes ahead.

Ravenna remembered little detail from their return journey. She recalled faltering, doing her utmost to carry on but ultimately weakening past a point of her known endurance. There was also great solace, spanning from the words they had shared, from seeing his remorse, and feeling his strong frame softening against her, enveloping her like a cure. In his eyes she had seen something he craved, seeking it within her. An arrow shot blindly, falling into an endless pool, striking true at its depths. Ravenna had understood the true extent of his motives, the fear, and longing, for once reluctantly revealed for her to see. To believe him. She remembered falling, and she felt rain, its warm droplets on her face. The sun's early rays shivered upon her closed eyelids. She remembered swaying on her feet from her sleepless nights and the long trek of the past days. And his words, their vibration ripples become rising tides against her shores. His voice, thick and laced with a softness Ravenna had never heard from him before. One she never heard from _anyone_ before.

_"We are not far, Raven. It will not be long..."_

Raven.

It reached the nether of her conscious. She liked it.

Her feet left the ground. Ravenna remembered her head resting against him, with ease and a new lightness of being, as well as peace. Then there was the last glimpse of worry in downcast golden eyes when her own closed and her vision blackened.

These were the thoughts flowing in currents, tangling with the image of a great silver moon cast in a black sky, lavishing its cold light upon stone tiles. All this had been days ago. Or perhaps merely yesterday. She had certainly lost track of time, and since they reached the castle all Ravenna could do was sleep. She slept, woke to drink and eat briefly of what was offered to her, and slept again. It was only recently that she had awoken, and the rush of events and words and feelings hit her with the force of physical blows. Presently Ravenna was bundled into a lavish settee on a wide terrace, part of a wing of the castle she had not seen before. It was a chilly night for summer, the air rich with the heartening scent of nature in its prime.

A sliver of light gold, and an extended hand.

"Well met."

Her eyes smiled, reflecting the moonlight. And Ravenna thought the shadow of that smile passed over his own lips. He seemed to her so utterly boyish, when even the slightest joy was impressed upon that fair, tormented face.

He was offering her a drink, and by the looks of the steam wafting from it, a hot beverage.

"Mulled wine," Adrian supplied as he sat beside her. "It may help, in regaining your strength."

Ravenna accepted the offering, her eyes following his as she inhaled the tangy scent. She took a sip. It was warm, red, and sweet, laced with spices and herbs she did not recognize.

"It is good," Ravenna said into his stare, placing the cup onto a round table close to the settee. She looked back at him, but none spoke, not for a time. The same light was in his eyes from before, in the woods. When he came in search of her, and providence had waved a generous hand. They were alive.

A pale finger reached and gently touched her face, where the purple bruises left by the huntress still flared menacingly. Though it hurt, Ravenna could not deny the boneless sense of relief at his touch.

"Thank you," Adrian then hummed, his gaze more subdued than she was used to. Had Ravenna not foiled the huntress' stance, a silver arrow would have been his end. Once, cowardly, he may have welcomed it. Now the notion was ridiculous and faraway.

"You would have done the same." There was certainty in her words.

Adrian merely nodded. His hand seemed to have a will of its own as it reached, fingers gliding in her hair. Ravenna closed her eyes at the promise behind the slow motion, only to open them when the touch faded.

He was looking ahead, his gaze upturned to the astral body, his forearms resting on his knees. He seemed saddened, his smile replaced by a pensive air. "My parents used to spend their evenings here, in their early years together."

"I can see why," Ravenna said truthfully. It was beautiful up here. The stars were drowned by the silver giant in its brilliance, layering the endless forests in hues of dark blue and grey. A soft stir danced in the air.

He was studying the stone tiling, leaning back against the soft backrest of the settee.

"Adrian, " Ravenna began, reaching closer to him. It came naturally, as though they had done this countless times before.

"Yes, Raven." She felt his arm around her waist, and he smiled when her head came to rest against him.

"You said you would tell me of it all," she spoke warmth into him.

Alucard sighed, as though dreading the outcome, looking a little resigned. But it was only the past. And so he told her. He told her in great detail what happened with his father, and then of the two traveling hunters and how their lie had been carried out.

When he was done she was weeping. For the unfairness of it all, for the trials set before ones undeserving. For how it nearly wrecked them. "I did not know," Ravenna hitched clutching at his shirt with one hand, her touch desperate to sustain her words, her legs drawn to her chest.

His fingers were light on her chin, and Ravenna met his eyes. They were kind and smiling. She blinked very slowly, witness to this different side of him. "It is in the past," he said. "All of it. One day, it will cease to even be a memory."

Unable to deny the conviction in his eyes she only nodded, and curled back against him in silence. She wore a thin nightgown under her thicker robe and wrapped it closer around her body. Ravenna then wrapped herself closer around _him._

"You are yet wearied. I trust you would find rest in the room adjoined to this terrace as well as any other." He had merely wished to show her this place, and share its meaning with her.

"Yes..." Ravenna said absently, a hum on the wind, yet affected by his revelation. "Adrian," she clutched at him with slender fingers. "Please, stay."

His warmth was blissful, but she heard no response as her eyes shut again.

* * *

He lingered in the doorway, glancing at the slight figure bundled in blankets, pleased to see she was fast asleep upon the wide canopy bed. She had returned, with him. One who resonated with him, and she was still here despite all that had happened, from his fault or otherwise. He still delayed, a part of him not daring to go much farther, though she had asked him to stay. The memory of her, close and warm, hailed to the fore with their encounter that evening. It felt good to be listened to, and by someone who genuinely cared. He did not recall ever living such truths. As walking through an illusion the son of Dracula stepped into the room, shrugging off his dark coat. He neared the bed, hesitating still. Slowly, with feline grace, he lay close to where Ravenna was sleeping on her side, careful not to wake her. He cupped her body with his, and looking at her face coaxed a few threads of black away. Ravenna shuddered in her sleep, and he saw the side of a small, unknowing smile.

His heart sank. But he had made his peace with what this was and had seen it in her own eyes, felt it in her actions. There was no need to be afraid. He drew even closer into her sleeping form and draped an arm around her middle. Eyes closed and still smiling, he aimed for sleep.

It was midnight when she stirred. Ravenna felt a foreign but welcomed warmth rising against her, wishing the pleasant dream she was having to never end. _He_ was in it, and as her eyes opened she became aware of a lean, warm body nestling hers. Upon impulse and yet enmeshed in her dream Ravenna arched her back, being regaled with a weak sigh. She smiled. Though suddenly alight she could not trust her senses alone, a lesson Ravenna had learned in the hardest of ways.

Her eyes still glazed with restful sleep, the young woman decided to place her mind on trial, and spoke. "Tell me this is you... not an incubus, or some other horror..."

Ravenna stilled when long, very real fingers grasped her thigh, gently commanding her body into his. She mellowed pleasantly, listening to the wind outside as it began its wailing against the barred windows. Soon there was the soothing cadence of rain to accompany it.

"It is me," Adrian smiled against her cheek. Then, before he could think, he placed a soft, open kiss on her neck. Her pulse raced against his mouth, and his head began to spin with its rhythm.

Ravenna felt the muscles in his forearm tense as he reached lower across her body. Either he somehow knew precisely what she liked, or she liked what he knew as her senses appeared completely attuned to his every movement. Ravenna turned her head, her eyes half closing, her lips parting as his hand continued to roam over her. The space between her thighs ached with pleasant strangeness. "Adrian..." she loved the sound of his name. She loved how warm he was. "I need..." Ravenna loved the way he smelled, the way he tasted. She trailed away in hitched breaths and pressed her thighs together, trapping his fingers between them.

When his lips found hers Ravenna regaled him with a mewl of inarticulate desire. "Say it," Adrian hedged, smiling. "Tell me what you need, Ravenna." It was unbelievable how he could find her so very desirable, ridiculous how he could no longer rein himself around her at all. And he did not want to, either. Not anymore. She flowed through his veins.

He was so hungry, she knew it, and all Ravenna wanted was for him to feed on _her_. She had wanted this and longed for them together, ceaselessly, ever since... she could barely remember. It felt as though he had always been there.

Adrian had drawn back his hand and was running a tender trace up her leg, lifting her light nightgown above her hip. Cold air danced on her skin.

Uncertainly at first, he reached to feel more of her under the material. "Raven..." he rasped, barely able to utter words. He was unable to cease touching her, and knew what she would say.

"I need _you_ ," the ache between her legs pulsated when he sighed, smiling against her shoulder, and at his silent entreaty she let him explore further. Heat pooled from his gentle hand into her in waves, rising higher and higher. If he was hungry, Ravenna was so very thirsty. "I need you, everywhere," she repeated weakly. As she said the words Ravenna felt the strain pressing against her lower body hardening further. She was lined against him, and he hedged their hips further together. Ravenna felt the world turning and spinning only briefly, and then she was lying flat on her back, his pale gold hair feathering over her face.

"Your scent... reminds me of roses," she slurred teasingly. This was no dream, no.

"Does it?..." Adrian grinned, his thumb brushing over her lips as he allowed his body to sink onto hers.

Without replying she captured his lower lip and nibbled, instinctively locking her legs around his hips. He was so hard against her now Ravenna could barely hold to her composure, seeing the same written on his face. She felt so hollow, and something within demanded fulfillment.

Adrian smoothed long strands away from her face, gazing down at her with a look of complete adoration. He placed his forehead to hers. "You have not done this before."

It took a few moments to consider his words, and the blush across her nose and cheeks deepened. "How... do you know?"

His hips were pressing hers into the bed. "Your blood," Adrian kissed her again, tugging on her lower lip, "Its taste... I sensed it."

"I... see," Ravenna cooed, and could not help but ask, feeling strangely excited at the prospect "...does it affect you?"

He hissed between his teeth, and Ravenna yelped as he rolled over with them, finding herself atop him. The curtain of her black hair shielded their faces from the world, and Adrian reached and brought it over her shoulder. "I could eat you alive," he said raptly, his fingers sifting through her long mane, watching it fall in dark silk waves.

If possible Ravenna burned all the brighter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, placing brief kisses over his face wherever they would land. "Eat me alive, then," she whispered mindlessly, just as Adrian reached for her chin and melded his mouth to hers. His kiss was raw and weakening, but it was his tongue, shyly parting her lips and seeking hers, which became her final undoing. Her fingers were playful in his hair, and she grasped tightly. Unknowing but certain, she hastily reached between them to undo his trousers and they both fumbled until Ravenna finally released him, and with his aid rolled his garment down his legs. She propped her forearms on either side of his head, and kissed him again. She kissed him just as she had always wanted to: deeply and languidly, enjoying the heat and pressure, swallowing his sighs. Then she was eagerly pulling at the fastenings of his shirt, revealing his bare shoulders and chest. Ravenna drew away, and froze. He was perfection, but her gaze saddened briefly. "Oh, Adrian...," her eyes were taken with the various winding scars marring his shoulders, torso, and legs. Ravenna had seen only glimpses of them before, and knew his tale now, but did not imagine this.

"It is no matter," Alucard half rose to meet her, and then his mouth was gliding along her shoulder, his hand caught in her disheveled hair. "They do not hurt," he then whispered against her neck. "I have you now."

Her face opened to him like dawn to the sun. Her fingers followed the angry scar across his chest as Adrian leaned back onto the bed, his skin aglow against the sheets; resolutely, she would never let anything hurt him again, not if she could help it.

As under a spell, Alucard reached for the loose hem of her nightgown and slowly pulled down, causing it to pool to her elbows. His eyes went to the curved perkiness of her chest. A strong, elegant hand reached to cup one of her breasts and Ravenna huffed, her head falling back as she straddled him, her long hair tickling his thighs. His lips were parted, and his lower abdomen tensed achingly as his thumb slowly circled one hardened peak, then the other. He then rose, slowly, eyes on her own lost ones, and locking her in his grasp began to devour her dewy skin, his hot mouth nipping and licking first at her wrist, up to her shoulder and neck, her collarbone, his warm breath and tongue gliding along the smooth area between her breasts.

Her fingers caught in his hair when Ravenna felt a warm pull, moaning when his lower lip slid over her other hardened peak. She sighed harshly, her hands falling from his hair to grab at the sheets as he continued to torture her with tongue and teeth.

With one fluid motion Ravenna drew away and brought her garment over her head casting it aside, leaving her completely bare before him. Lightning flashed through the window, briefly bathing them in white light as he reached for her again.

His golden eyes were drawn with magnetic power to her rounded shoulders, her chest, flushed with his teasing, heaving so delightfully up and down that it almost undid him then and there; to the way her waist flared into rounded hips. His splayed palms were running over her with increasing insistence, the skin soft, like moonlight under his fingers. Alucard felt the smoothness of her with a look of guileless fascination, his fingers digging into her rear, pulling her into his lap and grinding her hips down back and forth against his hard length. He claimed her mouth again, his lips seeking, his tongue grazing the tip of hers, before breaking away and lying down on his back with his hands gripping her thighs. "You lead," he told her, and Ravenna adjusted her hips at his behest. There was a vulnerability to his words that made her need him all the more. "I do not want to...-" he tensed despite himself when he felt her, hot and dripping over him, "-to hurt you..." And a hand on her back led her down to him. He took her mouth again, Ravenna mad with anticipation as she felt him pushing gently against her inner thigh, then her mound, slipping lower. She felt a hard, warm slickness. This was new. This was all new, but how she wanted, _needed_ to be with him completely. She would go insane otherwise, or so it surely felt.

There was a foreign pressure at first, and then a modicum of pain. Ravenna closed her eyes, whimpering softly as she let her forehead fall against his shoulder. When he slowly slipped deeper inside a sigh left his throat, and Ravenna needed to hear more of it. She pushed down further wincing slightly, unused to it all. "Like... this?..." she asked, biting down hard on her lip at the foreign sensation. A sense of filling relief after living through a long, depleting hunger.

His heartbeat was wild against her chest, a shiver and a nod her only response. They did this for some time, the now furious rain outside and their mingled sighs the only sounds audible in the night. And after a while the pain dispersed, leaving slow building pleasure and a delightful sense of warm ease. Her hips found a rhythm. She never ceased her motions, and he was moaning so helplessly under her slow, inexperienced movement that Ravenna was close to losing her mind. There was little else she cared about in the moment save for his slick mouth, his enveloping skin, and the way he rocked her against him.

She lifted her head and their eyes locked, finding his own were now glazed and flaring red, watching her from beneath hooded lids. She had seen him like this before but in completely different circumstances, and her breath caught at the sight. Anyone else may have been unsettled, but there was a primeval sort of beauty to him in this unleashed state; watching her so ravenously with that flaming ruby gaze, holding her so painfully close.

They followed this dance with his hands always steadying her, meeting her halfway. Alucard gripped her narrow waist tightly, attempting to still the rising need to thrust wildly into her. He wanted her to enjoy this, to feel safe with him in every way.

"Hurt me," Ravenna pleaded shortly into his ear, needing more.

He shuddered, and unable to resist Alucard rose, tilting a gasping Ravenna over on her back. He ran a trail of kisses leading from her jaw to her neck and breasts and Ravenna nearly lost herself, staring into his flaring gaze as he slowly crawled back up to her. Her eyes widened then rolled back when he dove into her again, deeper than the first time. She would break. Ravenna was unsure why or how but knew she would. Her thighs tightened around him, her chest flattening against his, both urgently grasping each other's hair, both breathless.

There was something incredibly... healing about sharing himself with her, and in those moments, the shackles fell.

Freedom. The past, his fears, the old scarring pains, all were slowly dispersing and receding as he kneaded and drove into Ravenna with reckless abandon, his essence unwinding and weaving with hers. He could no longer boast much control though a part of him was yet wary of harming her, and he was about to slow his pace and attempt to ask amid his haze, when Ravenna suddenly arched into him.

"Deeper-" she murmured, breathless.

Hearing that, he felt himself go so hard it hurt, and all reason failed as Alucard rose suddenly with a hand on her shoulder keeping her down, the other grasping her hip. The strong muscles in his rear tensed as he plunged into her with merciless need, giving her what she asked for, watching her squirm and moan as her entire body shook with his movement.

"I... will... if you... Adrian-" her eyes opened shortly, glazed with desire, her face blushed like a rose.

His name from her lips, the way she said it, her hissed plea, it all spurred him on in a blind frenzy. Alucard sank back down, reached beneath her and his arms wound around Ravenna like a vice; a near desperate sound left her lips as he began teasing her in deep, circular thrusts, sheathed into her to the base.

"Deep enough?" he asked, grinning as her moans became hoarser, enjoying the maddening, hot wet suction of her inside; he thrust slower, harder, delighting in her voice as he hammered her into the mattress, their bodies plied together, touching every inch possible.

Ravenna merely nodded as he licked her parted lips, her face flushed, her hips tilting upward to take more.

He lost himself.

" _Adrian-_!"

The first time anyone had cried his name in something other than dread or warning, and as a war cry it unleashed him. His jaw clenched, he went faster, needing nothing but her welcoming body, delighting in the convulsions she was having and good God everything was so tight around him, and so he never ceased; not even when he felt her overflowing with fulfillment, not even when her nails dug into his back and Ravenna bit down on his lip to draw blood.

And then, in one split of time there was nothing but blinding light, and a bolt of pleasure sheared through him. He barely kept from biting into her flesh as it rushed and violently flooded every part of him, and his own release wracked him in sudden, primal shivers. With a muffled groan he clung to the yielding body writhing against him, burying his face against her neck, feeling himself spilling into her. One moment passed, then another with their shallow breathing, his panting chest against hers, his grip still strong on her. The wind outside and the wild beating of her heart was all he heard for a good while after.

His grasp on her loosened, his touch become tender as he nipped at her weary smile. Even he, with all his strength and endurance, looked happily exhausted, turning on his side and bringing a yet panting Ravenna to him.

There was such relief beyond reason, the kind she had never known before. Ravenna met his eyes, still reddish gold from the throes of their joining. His long, shining hair was mussed, and strands stuck to his face and neck like liquid gold. His lips were red and a light bruise lined the lower one, where she had bitten him.

"How do you feel, after this scholarly pursuit?" Adrian asked smiling into the ensuing silence, watching her inquisitively, one hand smoothing wet strands of dark hair away from her face.

Ravenna snorted, her fingers threading through his hair. "Happy..." her hand ran lightly over the hard muscles of his arm. "Sore," she added smiling impishly, curling into him like a cat. His chest shook with soft laughter, and she closed her eyes to it.

As night gave way to grey dawn both fell into a deep, restful sleep, still tangled together.


	27. Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are: the last chapter of this attempt at a 'season III fix-it' for everyone's favorite dhampir.

Cold. A breezy flutter of draperies, and sunlight. Ravenna clutched sleepily at the covers, her hand reaching of its own accord across the cool sheets to feel-

The space beside her was empty. Her eyes opened, and in a messy tangle of black hair Ravenna groggily rose, propped on her arms. The air in the room was chilly with the open window after the nightly rains, but still laced with the scent of wild pine and fresh dew and summer. And then there was another scent, lingering on the sheets, in her hair, on her skin. Her lips curved upward. Looking about herself, Ravenna felt briefly disappointed that she had not awoken to flickering eyes of gold and a sharp smile to kiss.

She reclined back onto the bed, drawing the sheets over her bare form. Memories of the night came to the fore, each more vivid and wonderfully teasing than the last. Ravenna recalled his hands on her, her hands on _him,_ the details of him burned into her spirit and etched onto her skin. The restraint fallen to pieces the deeper she kissed him, the desperation of longing which led them to an unending downward spiral of feeling, touching and possession. She recalled the scars, his plea to forget; his attempt to bury himself into her as though she were his talisman; his need of her, manifest into burning lips traveling the length of her body, showing her the heights one could fall from.

And then his tickling whisper against her ear before rest took her, and the things he had said. Ravenna turned on her side. After their tumultuous night together she hurt in a way which riled her, and only made her desire more of it. She still felt his taste in her mouth. Sleepily Ravenna rose to sit in bed again, clutching the blanket at her chest, wondering where Adrian had gone. Her mind awake, new thoughts began to sift through the fabric of her conscious. She felt as though all her struggles and learning and years spent in service of the greater good had somehow brought her here. And though Ravenna knew her goal could not be abandoned, the notion of leaving here now was rolling thunder and shadow on a bright day. They would need to speak of it. But what would she say? That she loved him, she enjoyed having him and was happy he appeared to fare better, but eventually she would need to depart? To _leave_ him? What of her promise to never allow any harm come to him again?

Ravenna paused.

She _loved him?_ A concept foreign to her, but for swirls of forgotten languages on veal pages during candle lit nights. Odes, odysseys and hymns, all dedicated to its myriad of forms and outcomes. All praising its delights and despairing over its iniquities.

Was this it? Was it that which the ancients favored and relished to explore, and which now monotheistic religion diminished and forbade in its earthly form?

Ravenna rose from the bed, wobbling slightly, one hand propped against the wooden post. The past night had been more demanding than she had thought, the young woman considered with half a smile. His strength, though controlled and reined, still slipped at times and a light bruise or two had made an appearance on her hip, her rear. Not that she had been gentler. Ravenna reached for her nightgown then crossed the empty chamber on bare feet, searching for her discarded slippers. She then donned her robe and left the chamber. She paced through the corridors, listening for any sign of where Adrian may be. Torn between the green meadows of her growing affection and the grey chains of duty, she wavered back and forth, both dreading and needing to see him, to hold him. To tell him.

He was not in the kitchen, though Ravenna noticed the table was laden with bowls of forest fruit and nuts. There were pitchers of cold water there as well. She helped herself to some of the fare before resuming her search. Ravenna stepped through the main reception hall, and after a few more failed attempts she had one last place to search. An unlikely option, but beyond it lay worry. And so she went.

As Ravenna neared what she knew to be the engine room of the castle, she heard sharp sounds of metal ringing against metal, and the rumbling roar of heavy objects falling and shattering. She lengthened her stride until she reached the entrance.

Adrian stood with his back to her, tall and straight, his shirt rolled to his elbows. He was currently in the midst of displacing a large melted copper sprocket from its original position. Wide eyed, Ravenna cringed when a deafening roll echoed through the chamber, as the blond threw the immense burden over a pile of similar discarded items. As he did so Adrian lifted his gaze to see a waiting Ravenna, her arms crossed and gaze questioning as she watched him.

Ravenna nearly fell apart under the brightness of his eyes. He was the same, and yet he was not. The frown and scowl from the early days of their meeting were gone. He did not smile but the unseen burden ever coiling around him did not seem to weigh as heavily on his step.

Adrian appeared none too affected by the inhuman effort he had made, and as their eyes kept trained on each other Ravenna felt the now familiar stirrings inside, ones only he could awaken.

Adrian stopped before her, and glanced her over. Ravenna regarded him, unmoving. She smothered the needling thought of how things stood between them now, even as he reached for her, the back of his hand gently grazing her cheek.

"You disappeared," she said, following his shadowing gaze as it rested on the still present bruises gifted in the struggle from the forest.

"You slept so soundly and deeply, I did not wish to wake you," and he smiled, a brittle thing. Ravenna felt weak, and wanton, as though sharp spears were flung between her ribs and only he had the power to retrieve them, either leaving her whole or tearing her apart.

And then Ravenna fell against him, wishing there was no quest, no aim, no Styria. For one split of time she selfishly desired her task had never been entrusted to her, all the while blessing that it was. When his arms wrapped around her Ravenna sighed at the renewed sensation of ease. Her own trembling arms came around his neck and she inhaled him, the tip of her nose pressing into the hollow of his neck.

"What are you trying to achieve here?" she spoke into him.

His chin rested on the crown of her head. "Remember the task of dislodging the melted metals from there?"

"Yes," she said softly, dejectedly. Ravenna felt her bones nearly crack when Adrian brought her even closer against him. She sighed, feeling the damnable rousing stir in her belly again. He was so warm.

"May I look into your eyes?" she heard the soft words, and slowly lifted her head.

His gaze was steady and determined but imbued with the same light from the woods, from last night. "You still have research to pursue in the Hold, from what I recall?"

"Yes," Ravenna said, distracted by the sunlight straying over his pale features, setting his mane of hair a deeper gold.

"We will restore the engine room," he leaned closer to her face, and Ravenna felt warmth on her lips. She shivered, one of her hands grasping his nape, demanding more tender torment. She would never tire of it.

Adrian broke away and pressed his face to hers. "Once you are done, we will transport this castle to Styria, so that you may complete your task. It may take more time, but it would be reclaimed with the speed of travel owed to the mechanism." He looked back into her ice blue depths. "What say you?"

It was then that it dawned on her. The tightness of his grip. His face when he had glimpsed her. He had been reeling. Perhaps he thought she might refuse?

It seemed trust and fear mingled as he struggled to change and reclaim his faith in both himself and others.

"You want me to stay."

He blinked, and his eyes softened on her. "For as long as you desire. But I would need your aid, for this to be possible," he waved a hand towards the dismantled engine room. Infused metals required knowledge of alchemy which he did not wholly master. "What say you, Raven?" Adrian asked again, and the look on his face spoke of so many things, all of which were clashing and crumbling within her.

The air in the room seemed charged. Ravenna felt as though she were levitating, light as a leaf flowing on a mild wind. Then her gaze was drawn by his lower lip, and she tilted her head to nip on it. She felt his sigh against her mouth. "Yes," but it came cracked and faint with the feel of him, with his lips hungrily pressing on hers.

And then she was feverish again, and needed him. She felt _his_ need, and then sense was no more, the engine room was no more, and all Ravenna knew was him. And he gave her all she asked for and more, both uncaring of the cold messy floor; the ruined remnants of darker days and the sun their uncaring witnesses.

"I truly... must... bathe now," Ravenna panted when it was done, and Adrian was drawing her in a sitting embrace. "... and _you_ ought to eat," she admonished lightly, being met with a quirked eyebrow and a small smile, revealing one fang which was her undoing. "Do not look at me that way. You may be half-vampire-"

"Go," Alucard helped her to her feet. He held her hands, placing a chivalrous kiss on each in turn. His eyes were mischief. "I will follow in a moment."

Assured but throwing him a mock scolding look nonetheless, Ravenna turned from him. "I would not wish to have to return for you," she threatened impishly.

Alucard was fastening his shirt over his chest, a roguish grin on his face. "Are you certain?"

With a good humored huff Ravenna left him, her smile as wide as the horizon. She followed the path through the castle, soon reaching the balustrade and winding stairs in the reception hall. Her step was light, her worries and darkness set to rest. He was yet learning to fight against his fears, that of loss chief among them, and she would do her utmost to aid him.

As Ravenna walked to reach a hall which led to the bath chamber, she heard noise, sudden and not completely foreign.

Knocking?

After a brief pause which had her stop in her tracks, the knocking resumed. This time louder.

Warily Ravenna approached, following the wide corridor towards the gates and fastening her robe.

Another knock. She considered waiting for Adrian, but thought she heard a feminine voice on the other end. Intrigued, Ravenna listened again, but there was only knocking. She reached for the handle and slowly and painstakingly cracked one of the gates open, careful to stand to the side.

Her eyes met steely grey ones, a black head of messy hair. An angry scar, a sharp jaw lined with stubble. A young man, standing before the gates. His garb was worn with travel. Then those foreign eyes widened, regarding her untamed hair, moving to her robe as it slid off one naked shoulder.

"Uh... is-... we seek Alucard. Is he here?" the man had a voice too, it seemed.

This must have been a mistake. She frowned. "... Who?" But why would anyone come here of all places, seeking someone they thought they knew?

Grey eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Alucard. You know, tall, blond, _very_ annoying, the son of Dracula and all that? Where is he?" His tone had become demanding, wary.

"Ravenna, what is it?" she heard his voice from behind her then, and the stranger appeared startled.

She turned her head towards Adrian, who had come to stand behind her, unable to say anything except,-

"...Alucard?" she mouthed in confusion.

The son of Dracula seemed stricken, and his gaze shot towards the person standing outside. Ravenna had never seen him so... so... astonished? Angry? _Happy?_

She turned back to the man before her, whose face had changed from confused to knowing. It was a face demanding blows. A grin was plastered on it. "Well, _this_ , I did not expect," he churned, crossing his arms.

She heard one, single word, a mesh of relief, surprise and utter exasperation.

"Belmont."

"Alucard."

They knew each other? Ravenna stepped back, felt his hand resting on her shoulder. The gates instantly opened wider, revealing another approaching figure. A female, donned in blue robes, with hair of fire.

The stranger cleared his throat, the grin still present. "Well, won't you invite us in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was that. I left somewhat of an open ending - because 'dastardly plans'. Saddened though I am, this was the ending I had in mind and I have nothing else to offer you now dear reader. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for your comments and/or attention - there is no higher reward, they meant so much. I also have the habit of writing companion pieces to fics, so I may or may not revisit these two in the future. It certainly feels like I'm not done writing Alucard.
> 
> Now... well, let's see what season IV brings (Warren Ellis, I'm watching you).
> 
> Until next time


End file.
